Tag Archives: money

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Biking as a form of capitalist rebellion

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I bike to work. I have for most of this year and to a large degree I’ve biked as many places as I could since I was in high school.* The two primary reasons I have choosen to bike are financial and physical.
I don’t like cars. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy driving, especially my stick shift, but I could do without. Cars cost you money no matter how much you drive them (licenses and tags, insurance and oil changes) and then they cost you money when you do drive them (gas and maintenance). I’ve had some bad experiences with cars (three of which I put about $400 into to fix and they promptly broke less then a week later). When I average repairs and everything out (except gas) it has cost Mindy and I about $1000 a year to have a car. It has cost me much less then $100 a year to have my bike (far less if I hadn’t had two stolen). Every day I bike to work I save money, and then environment and more.
I don’t like ‘working out.’ It’s not that I hate fitness clubs, I just find it silly that we’ve advanced our technology so much that we don’t get enough exercise in our daily routine. Now we schedule in a time to drive to the gym, burn some calories, drive home and eat more then we need. I work up a decent sweat every time I bike to work, and I really like that because I have to go to work, and now I’m getting some exercise while I do it.

That was more then I thought I would say about my own personal motivations for biking, but it brings me to my final point. I’ve said this before: I’m glad gas prices are going up. I really don’t like the idea that oil companies are probably the ones benefiting, or that violence and the threat of violence has contributed to the increased prices. Yet, in our society, where we are ignorant of our impact on the environment, and we are so focused on what is convenient for me, we really don’t choose to change unless it is hurting our pocket book.
I’ve biked around town at all hours of the day and I see more and more people who are biking to and from work then I have ever seen before. The cool thing is these aren’t your hip, “look-at-me-I-bike-to-work” type, these are folks who pulled the two wheeler out of the garage, dusted it off and said, I’m not going to let capitalism have the last say. Keep biking.

*There has been periods of time where “could” does not include any ride in which I would get sweaty, I’d have to wear a helmet, or I would possibly be seen by someone I know. Those periods occured mostly in high school, but still occur on occassion.

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Abba Ephrem gives his thoughts on Righteousness and Stuff

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Abba Ephrem also said,

“God sells righteousness at a very low price to those who wish to buy it: a little piece of bread, a cloak of no value, a cup of water, a mite.”

Woe to me. How much bigger the plank in my eye then the speck in my brothers. I realize often how far short of the righteous, selfless calling of God that I see in the Bible. I spend the morning writing a post about how surrendering means giving up things, and I feel puffed up pointing out others faults and list none of my own.
I like to eat. Far too often I eat more then I need for my own good and I indulge on the things that I will enjoy. I hide my desire for pleasure in a cloak of fair trade and financial stewardship.
I excuse laziness as faithful stewardship and sacrificial living.

How dare I spend my mornings passing judgement on those around me when I two stand so far from God’s standard and calling for following Christ.

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Money makes the world go around…

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(I had to watch that darn movie three times in a row in high school English)

Whether this statement is true or not, money plays a vital role in our society and interactions. Recently, I’ve been reminded of money’s role in a variety of ways.

Credit Cards- I posted a while back inquiring and pondering whether credit cards where really worth having around. I’ve found them beneficial in that I’ve received a couple hundred dollars in cash rebates and I’ve only paid a couple dollars in fees (due to my negligence). But, those cards just add another facet of concern that I don’t really want to have at the moment.

Student Loans- These things are scary. You’d be amazed how much money these banks will throw at you. We got more then we thought we’d need for school this semester and they sent us a check for the extra. Fortunately I was smart enough to send it back (and then some). Are loans for education worth it? Isn’t it still debt?

Purchasing a house- It sounds cool when I talk about it with our friends, but then I also think about the commitment and responsibility involved. This is some serious stuff we are talking about. Your talking quite a bit of cashflow here. But some say it’s better then renting, others say not.

Beggars- I’m not sure that beggar is the best term, but that’s what they are doing is begging for money. What do you do when your asked for a dollar?

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I bought a bike…

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I always hesitate after big purchases, but for better or worse, I just bought a new bike. It’s the same brand and style as my two previous ones (I’m starting to express some brand loyalty). Here’s a picture:
my bike

A few questions for the audience as it relates to my recent purchase:

  1. This will be my main mode of transportation. Did I pay too much for it? How do I decided good stewardship on something like that?
  2. Should I uglify this one like I did my previous bike? Bumper stickers all over and more?
  3. Is it right to want nicer things because you’ll use them more?
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Gift Bags

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In the past I’ve brought up the idea that we should be more giving and not use the excuse of what happens on the receiving end to justify our lack of giving. The response, not unexpected, that folks don’t want to give a person money because they might spend it on booze or drugs. Instead folks would like to give something else. Well, since I can’t convince them otherwise, I figured I should offer a more agreeable suggestion.

A sweet guy from Nashville gave a great suggestion about what to put in a gift bag you might give to a homeless person. Basically he suggests a paper bag with:

  • new or clean socks
  • nail clippers
  • a comb
  • tooth paste
  • tooth brush
  • deodorant
  • bar of soap
  • gloves (when it’s cold)
  • disposable razor
  • small candies
  • personal note or decorate the bag

From
The Homeless Guy: Gift Bags

Sometimes they will try to make you feel guilty so they can get more out of you. Be polite but firm. If you set, and hold to your limits, they will respect you for it. This is a great way of giving. I have received such packages myself – they’ve always been a blessing.

I’d like to add one final suggestion to thise gift bag idea. I still think you should put a few bucks in the bag. Money is a very useful and tangible resource, you can get whatever you might need with it. Take a couple dollars or maybe a five and put it in an envelope and seal it. Then write a note on the envelope. Write whatever it might be that you would like to say to a person about being wise about what they use their money for.

What would you write on the envelope?

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Education Pays

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If there is any major encouragement for staying in school it is because it pays off in the end. Here’s a chart from the Department of Labor Statistics.

Chart

When you start crunching those numbers you find some pretty impacting things.
Just graduating high school increases your pay over $8000 a year. Sticking it out through an associates degree is another $6000+ a year.

The unemployment rate decreases by a large amount just by completing high school. These are some powerful changes.

Money & Stewardship

Cost of Living: dictated by values, not income.

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Financial Lesson #3: Live by your values, not your income.

I’m a little worried about moving on with so little feedback on my last finances post, but we’ll proceed anyways.
I think one of the BIGGEST steps we can make to healthy finances and Christ-like stewardship is to begin to live by our Values, rather then our Income. To make this conversation meaningful let me direct it to three different audiences:

Mr. College Student:
You are the one group I need to clarify something with: Most of you college students do not have an income. What does that mean? It means for a lot of you, you are going into debt to get yourself an education. Most folks would say that is a good thing, and some would say it’s not really debt, it’s an investment. I think I would agree with them, education is something I certainly value and I’m sure you do to, so this is a wise decision.
What does this also mean? It means you are going out to eat on the weekends, and bowling and buying concert tickets on money you don’t have. Going into debt on entertainment, does that align with your values?

Ms. Recent College Grad with the entry level job:
Congrats, you finally have your own income and are paying your own bills. It’s time to make some of those important decisions. There’s a good chance your still in debt for your school loans so some of what I said to the college students still applies. What that means is that you need to decided if it is more wise stewardship to pay off your student loans, or buy those fancy couches on lay-away.
I bet I know what most of you are choosing: your going to pay off the student loans, who needs fancy couches anyways? Especially you college students who had any exposure to global issues like poverty. To you folks it seems silly to buy a big screen TV for your living room when most folks in the world can’t put food on the table for their kids. That is your values speaking.

Mr. and Mrs. Nice job and In the money:
Hopefully your idealistic college days values are still in your mind. You have stepped into the world where the “American Dream” is possible and most would say necessary. You’ve got a better paying job and you darn well want to show it. You’ve been eyeing that BMW SUV and have kept your eyes open for a bigger home. And as far as everyone thinks there is nothing wrong with that: Higher Income = Higher Cost of Living. And suddenly your values are out the door. gone.

To clarify again I’ll leave you with a word picture and somewhat of a paraphrase of Luke 3:11*. Say your at home. A blizzard has just begun outside and you and your brother have to make the trek to school. You get to the closet first and see before you two coats. It’s quite cold outside so you take both the coats, leaving your brother with none. Is that what Christ called us to?
Now another word picture. You recently received a commission from your church to be a full-time missionary in your town. You don’t need to quit your job or anything, but rather just continue living and spend your time sharing the gospel with others. Here’s the neat thing: your church gives you a million dollar annual living stipend to support you. What does your home, car, lifestyle, etc. look like?

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Your problem with Giving is probably You.

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Financial lesson #2: Giving

I think most of us, if we are completely honest with ourselves, are quite selfish even in our giving.
When I give I want it to be on my terms. I don’t like a knock on my window when I pull up to the stoplight asking for some money for lunch. They should know the only change I have is for emergencies and this doesn’t qualify. I’m much more comfortable knowing that I commited to paying $30 a month to sponsor a child, and it will cost me just $30.
When I give my hard earned money I want it to go to a deserving organization. I want to feel good about it. I often want to be recognized for it. I mean, after all, isn’t this my money I’m giving away?
Many of the thoughts I mentioned above are perfectly okay, but there are a few reasons that sometimes they are not. You see, a major part of the call to give is to teach you that money is not your god or master.
Take Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler* as an example (I’m not a ruler, but I sure feel young and rich). Did Jesus ask him to give everything he had so that the needs of the poor would be met? That was probably one reason. Most of us recognize though, that it was very much about him being willing to let go, and follow Christ. I far too often hear the response to that passage being that we aren’t required to give everything away, we just should be willing to if God ever asked it of us (and lo and behold I know not one person who God has ever asked to give away all they had).
Well today is the day. It’s time to for you to open your tight fist and release your tight grip on money, so that you can grip easily the hand of God. Today we stop making excuses and being self-centered in our giving, instead we give because we NEED to give to release our tight grip on money; to acknowledge that money is not our god.

Your Assignment for the Week/month: Take $100 (For most people with an income that’s probably less then half your tithe each month) out of the bank in $1 bills. Over the next month: give to anyone who asks, drop bills in places they’ll be found, try to give a dollar to a random stranger, hide them in findable places at work, drop them out the window at a school bus stop. Have fun, and give with no expectations or qualifications on your giving.

Money & Stewardship

Financial Wisdom: Is it really that difficult?

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This will be the first of a small series of post I plan on doing on finances. I figured I should post this first entry both to introduce you to why I will be writing these post, and to create some accountability for me to make sure I do get this information out there.
I’ll start by saying that I have done a fair bit of reading as it relates to financial advice. I learned about Dave Ramsey this summer and read all of his books in the fall. I recently finished reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad. While on a brief financial kick in the past I’ve read Robert Allen’s stuff; The Millionare next door; and a slew of other books I found in the personal finances section of Border’s while Mindy does piles of homework. So, I’ve hopefully learned a little bit. And I must say most of these books have some pretty good advice. Many of them leave me ready to take action on making millions in some form or another, but usually that part of me settles down quite quick.

In future post I will share with you a little of the ways that I have dealt with my finances, and ways I hope to deal with them in the future. I am FAR from a financial expert, and nothing I’ll say here has stood the test of time (at least not that much time), but it is things I believe are steps in the right direction. I’ll try to be as honest as possible. Most of my values come from looking at the life and teachings of Jesus and trying to follow those. Some of the topics I’ll probably talk about is Needs vs. Wants, Fun Money, Giving, Saving, and living on what you need.
Since my life, and these views, are all a work in progress, I’d appreciate as much feedback as each person can give to the things that I share.

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Real Estate with Ethics

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I’ve continued to read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and it continues to put this driving question in my mind. How can we invest in Real Estate in a way that is ethical?
Currently though only thing I’ve come up with is to do Real Estate in rich areas where it’s not directly affecting the poor. As I said in a previous post, so many options of making money in Real Estate seem to be doing so at the expense and oppression of the poor.

So, here is the deal. I want to make a lot of money. I want to make money so that I don’t have to raise it, or break my back working for it; I want to have money so that I can do all the things I desire to do and not have to worry about it. The stock market sounds interesting to me as does Real Estate. Lucrative business ventures are great too, but here’s my catch. I want to invest in things and in ways that I believe are ethical.
I’ll try the real estate thing, but not if it means ripping off someone just because they are in a tight spot, and not if it means pushing the poor out of their neighborhood, and not if it means charging oppressive rent prices.
I’ll try the stock market, but I don’t want to invest in companies that run sweatshops. I don’t want to support companies that make their millions in alcohol, pornography or the slave trade. I want to make money helping the world become a better place.

Anyone know of any good places to go for that kind of financial advice? Because I haven’t a clue.