i recently spent the day conquering the laundry monster. while hauling loads up and down the stairs of our apartment building, i recounted the “good ol’ days” when we had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two cars, our own personal washer/dryer, AND [drum roll, please] a dishwasher.
we’ve lived here for two years with only one car and have managed to pack everything in a small one-bedroom apartment, sharing 4 pairs of washer/dryers with 29 other families, and have barely have enough counter space to dry our handwashed dishes. over and over and over again.
in the midst of the tedium of laundry, i smiled to myself, thinking how happy we are even though we’re living with less… and how, if we kept up this modest pace of life while earning more money on the other side of seminary, then we could give even MORE money away.
even still, i know the truth. the truth is that when we get outta seminary, we’ll end up back in the real world with a nicer apartment or house, we’ll have all the “necessities” of the American life again, and we spend all the money we were dreaming to give to others.
but will i really need a dishwasher?
and our own laundry machines?
and a bigger apartment?
and more bathrooms?
and another car?
it’s easy to live this way now, because everyone else around us is living this way. will we be able to do this outside of seminary?
i don’t know.
Now being “on the other side”—had the house and all the stuff and now living on no income, having gotten rid of most stuff—simple is better for sure. Dishwasher though…YES!!
Wouldn’t it be great to upgrade your living style AND STILL be able to give the abundant quantities that your hearts desire? Is their a possibility that it just might be possible? I’m just sayin’…
Luxuries they really are awesome. I totally agree
(not that I have them)
BUT
You are making it with limits but appreciating it with grandeur… Awesome!!
It only leaves room for God to be the OVERFLOW.
A dish washer does fall in the “need to have” category in my life. Do you know how many dirty dishes two kids generate? But I have a friend who has a dishwasher but doesn’t use it. And for no good reason either. Go figure.
it is amazing to see how nature adapts to its surcumstances and we as humans adapts our sircunstances to suit us…
i will bet that all of those things you do with out will become a necesity some or other time when you can nearly afford it.. that is the human nature of the bloggers
I think things will change in a lot of areas for you. Two cars might be something that would make your life easier if/when children get into the picture. Laundry machines in your house, I am convinced, are sent directly from Heaven. So, receive that gift, sister. And the dishwasher.
For years we didn’t increase our standard of living when Chris would get a raise. In fact, when we get raises and add a thing or two to our lives, we are most excited about increasing our giving. And the more we increase that, the more we keep getting. And the cycle continues.
God’s economy is best
Mandy,
Don’t tell me that I will go back into the rat race.
Like you, I live in a tiny 1 bedroom apartment. I have to hand wash all my dishes (just got done doing 3 sink fulls) and I get to go to the laundry mat tomorrow for my weekly Sunday morning laundry wash day.
I live without cable.
I live without internet.
It wasn’t 15 minutes ago that I sat and thank God because never in my life have I been so blessed and so wealthy.
I now have the flexibility to give when God tells me to.
I don’t want to lose that flexibility.
I want to budget my money around my giving and not my giving around my money.
In my 33 years of being on this earth, I know my portion is Him and I am more than blessed.
I have managed to live without a dish washerand washing machine/dryer for the past 5 years. I stay here because the rent is cheap and i am not spending all my money just to live. Once you are used to it, it is not that bad.
I just spent the morning blogging about “less is more”. My new motto is “simplicity is the new luxury”. I love all the other comments today….
just have some short people and then your dishwashing question will be answered.
Let me guess…
…this is an old post you had stored because you’ve been having so much fun lately, right?
I really dislike the laundrymat. Feel totally blessed to have a washer and dryer. We have a dish washer but there have been plenty of times when we didn’t and I got along just fine. We have also gotten by with one car for years. It was ok we definately survived. We were blessed with a second car just a couple years ago. Paid cash for it, definately not new.
I really like not having tons of stuff to take care off! I love the blessings that are sent my way.
Having been in the ministry full time ministry now for the last decade and a half (the last 5 years being a bivocational pastor) we have learned that it comes and goes. You guys have learned the most important lesson and that is to be content.
We’ve been married 7.5 years and have only ever had one car.
I know! Crazy huh? Especially in this “day and age.” And up until a year and a half ago, we didn’t have a computer. We did when we were first married but got rid of it. We pretty much only shop at Walmart, and a night out to dinner is usually Wendy’s or Taco Bell.
I will say though, that a washer/dryer and dishwasher are a MUST with multiple children. They just are.
It makes me sad right now to think about how much money Jake made when he was recruiter as opposed to now that we are back in the normal military lifestyle…..we could have given SO MUCH or saved SO MUCH. Now we live on less that half of what we lived on before.
The amazing part is that in the end, God always provides what we need. Always. I love that.
to me, it’s a heart issue, not so much a “dishwasher” issue. know what i mean?
Mandy,
On the other side of seminary, as you and your husband lay down your lives for Jesus…I believe you will eventually have a washer/dryer,dishwasher, AND extra money to help others…
oooh, Alece nailed it.
Mandy~We’re in a similar situation. One laundy room with four dryers/washers with almost 60 people in the building. No counters in our kitchen. One bedroom apartment that is stuffed. I sometimes wish for a bigger apartment, more counter space, dishwasher, a bigger bathroom etc but then I ask myself if I’d have a hard time keeping up with it, I think about it for a minute, and I say thank you Jesus this is enough for me right now. LOL.