TRUTH over TRADITION
Member
Well, your topic has been very refreshing and somthing IMO that needs to be said for sure :yes
I hope that I don't side rail your topic, and if I do, please let me know and we can start a new one.
But anyway, I don't make a lot of cash, although we do well for ourselves, but even when I was a roofer I noticed that we were living better than some of our friends who made literally three times the amount we made. When they filed bankruptcy, and then lost their houses (before the recent crash) while still having their jobs, well, I just couldn't grasp it.
I don't understand this need to have everything now, but it sure drives financing doesn't it. Years ago I bought an 42" LCD w/ a blue ray player and a complete surround sound system and I paid cash for every piece of it from some over time I had put in. My son said, "I've got a 50" and I replied, "But mine is paid for". A year later he filed bankruptcy. It makes me sick. We taught him better than that, but the lure to have everything now was to much of a temptation. Reminds me of drugs in a way.
When I was younger, you couldn't get the credit that was recently accessable to people who shouldn't have gotten that much credit. But not only that, but it's just insane to pay that much interest on such a small purchase.
I get the idea that credit was so loose, people forgot the value of a dollar.
Sorry for the ramble
It's truly a sad reality and lenders realize and promote saying we need this and we need that. They along with advertizers and producers get rich while the consumer becomes an unwitting slave to the system. Unfortunately, many of us as consumers have bought into what I call the deception of advertising.
My wife and I were talking about how 12 years ago before we were married, neither of us had a cell phone. Now we each have one and with kids (who are too young to drive or work) share a family plan that costs us upwards of $200.oo per month at times. We lived in separate apartments with separte bills, but were able to save more it seemed making far less than we do now despite the fact that we share bills today. It sounds funny, but it is really sad how we, CHRISTIANS so often go along with what the world promotes as necessary like cell phones, Ipads, 3D TV, 200 + channel satellite TV. satellite radio, etc., etc. While there is nothing or very little wrong with these things in and of themselves, our NEED to acquire these luxuries costs us time and money. The literally $100's of dollars more each we spend on these things means we must work more to earn more and it takes away funds that we could be using to bless others. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the things God blesses us with, but in all we do in word or deed (including how we spend GOD's money), we must do so remembering that we are christians!
