Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
(Romans 13:7-8 NIV)
“I want to install central air in my house, but know-it-all Kate says I need to save my money. It’s my money, and I should be able to spend it like I want.”
Mom had grown weary of finding someone to install and remove the window unit each spring and fall. My mom had worked hard all her life, pulling double shifts at the local nursing home until she retired when my dad received his cancer diagnosis. Our stucco home stayed cooler than most, during the humid summer months, but they bought a window unit when Daddy got cancer. Several years after Daddy’s death, Mom wanted to use her hard-earned money to enjoy central air and heat, so I encouraged her to do it.
Mom didn’t pull out a calculator, pen, and paper to make a budget. She never taught me how to budget money. I learned by her example. Frugal to a fault, Mom did without most of her life. She clipped coupons and shopped on senior citizen discount day.
As a young adult, I made some spending blunders when I discovered the joys of a credit card. I soon learned those joys were short-lived when the monthly payments burdened me with high interest rates. Mom had never used credit. If she couldn’t afford it, she lived without it.
Once I crawled out from the mountain of debt I had accrued, I followed Mom’s example. People often compliment me on my ability to budget money well. For years, I had little to budget. That’s when you have to be intentional with every dollar, but Mom left a powerful impression on me when it came to spending. No one taught her how to handle finances. Mom stopped attending school in the fourth grade. As the oldest girl in her family, she had to help at home throughout the 1930’s Depression.
Living without helps us live within our means.
When dementia made it impossible to stay in her home, I never regretted encouraging her to have central air installed, take a trip, or buy new furniture. While still in her home she told us, “I’m an old lady and if I want to eat a steak and baked potato every day, I can!” Laughing with her, I agreed.
If I did anything over again, I would have encouraged her to spend a little more on herself, but not too much. I might not have learned these valuable lessons about money management if she had splurged. I’m glad to be a thrifty spender just like Mom.
Originally posted on May 9, 2022 @ 3:00 am