Spending habits

[JRKH]

Nicely put. I wouldn’t have been so nice. Here’s a little sampling of my thoughts about what he said:

I disagree with the op that his pursuit of a master’s education ($$$$ whether paid for by him, his parents and/or in part by the taxpayers $$$$) constitutes something that he “needs.” Not that I have any problem with people spending money on education–as I mentioned in my earlier post that’s where my family spends a great deal of our money. Yet he seems to think* his* choice is noble because he plans to give away his “extra” money in the future to the poor, while those who may contribute far more to the poor than he ever has (and may ever will), he condemns. How* dare* they spend some of their money in a way different that he’d spend their money.

Nice thought. Who needs a “masters degree”???

Another thought would be this. Who serves teh “Starving in the Congo” more. The one who gives money to feed them or the one who invests money to prvide work for them.
It’s a little like the old saying, "give a man a fish and he eats for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.

Which is better and more noble?
It depends upon what each is able and called to do.

Peace
James

 

[nsper7]

WHATEVER!

We are just going to have to agree to disagree, because I wouldn’t spend money that I didn’t need until everyone had the essentials. If I get to Heaven everyone will be alright so I could party on hehe

I just feel it in my heart that I’d rather give the money to someone who is starving to death than buy something that I don’t need. I don’t see how you can go on holidays that are not needed when other people need that money. I personally try to do a lot of good and this is what my life is based around, but I guess that I’m just more passionate than most I seem to have more of a developing-country heart rather than a developed-country heart haha I am only staying in this wealthy country so that I can feed the poor, because I’d just be in the same situation as them if I relocated in Congo

And referring to the computer question… I need it to study my masters degree so I can make a lot more money of which I can give away once my future family has a secure future

Oh, I’m also not called to be single because I could have been a catholic priest or a catholic husband, both of which are in short supply

Just whatever… I’d just rather help someone out than go on holiday… I think that it’s sick but whatever. And you say about my eye having wood in it lol I am a pretyy good Catholic now. I just do my best and that’s all that God can ask for, is going on holiday doing your best? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo You’re actually planning, in advance, to not be the best person that you can be. Meh, maybe it’s just me and my lion heart.

My understanding is that this is not what the Church requires on pain of sin. Best bet, in general, is talk to your Priest/Spiritual Director.

 

[angelerulastiel]

WHATEVER!

We are just going to have to agree to disagree, because I wouldn’t spend money that I didn’t need until everyone had the essentials. If I get to Heaven everyone will be alright so I could party on hehe

I just feel it in my heart that I’d rather give the money to someone who is starving to death than buy something that I don’t need. I don’t see how you can go on holidays that are not needed when other people need that money. I personally try to do a lot of good and this is what my life is based around, but I guess that I’m just more passionate than most I seem to have more of a developing-country heart rather than a developed-country heart haha I am only staying in this wealthy country so that I can feed the poor, because I’d just be in the same situation as them if I relocated in Congo

And referring to the computer question… I need it to study my masters degree so I can make a lot more money of which I can give away once my future family has a secure future

Oh, I’m also not called to be single because I could have been a catholic priest or a catholic husband, both of which are in short supply

Just whatever… I’d just rather help someone out than go on holiday… I think that it’s sick but whatever. And you say about my eye having wood in it lol I am a pretyy good Catholic now. I just do my best and that’s all that God can ask for, is going on holiday doing your best? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo You’re actually planning, in advance, to not be the best person that you can be. Meh, maybe it’s just me and my lion heart.

Your post is extremely arrogant. Sure you manage to love people you’ll never meet, but all you can say to those around you is “wow, you’re selfish, look at how good I am”. I assume you eat plain bread, drink only water, and the bare minimum of vegetables necessary to sustain life. I assume you never eat out, rarely buy meat, live in a tent, and walk everywhere. Do you use air conditioning or heating? I assume you have very few clothes as well. Realistically you only need about 7 sets of clothing for each season.Those people in Congo are surviving, so anything you have more than them you don’t need.

 

[gmarie21]

Nice thought. Who needs a “masters degree”???

Another thought would be this. Who serves teh “Starving in the Congo” more. The one who gives money to feed them or the one who invests money to prvide work for them.
It’s a little like the old saying, "give a man a fish and he eats for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.

Which is better and more noble?
It depends upon what each is able and called to do.

Peace
James

One thing you must also remember is Pope John Paul II stated that vacations or get-a-ways are extremely important for the soul and spirit. When you begin to look down on those Catholics who take a vacation, remember this fact. Also, be careful, God does a fabulous job of humbling the prideful (I should know, He allowed me to not only be humbled, but pretty much broken).

 

[JRKH]

One thing you must also remember is Pope John Paul II stated that vacations or get-a-ways are extremely important for the soul and spirit. When you begin to look down on those Catholics who take a vacation, remember this fact. Also, be careful, God does a fabulous job of humbling the prideful (I should know, He allowed me to not only be humbled, but pretty much broken).

I’m afraid that I may have been misunderstood.

I’m perfectly comfortable with people taking vacations. I’m perfectly comfortable with people getting master’s degrees.

peace
James

 

[gmarie21]

I’m afraid that I may have been misunderstood.

I’m perfectly comfortable with people taking vacations. I’m perfectly comfortable with people getting master’s degrees.

peace
James

Sorry I meant it for crazydyl.

 

[sanctamaria17]

Yes, it’s important to save and be responsible (don’t spend more than what you don’t have). It’s also important to give to charity.

But please remember, if we didn’t spend a dime on extras, most people would not have work.

Case in point: For my program in Kenya this fall, part of the costs include a domestic, basically a maid. Of course, that would be a huge luxury, right? Yet, this may be the way a woman is paying for her children’s education.

As a server in a restaurant: I pay my rent by waiting tables at a busy restaurant. I depend on people going out to eat, maybe getting some appetizers and most likely splurging on some drinks and specials. They are enjoying themselves with their friends and I’m able to not only pay for my groceries and housing, I can save up for Kenya.

If poverty in the developing world is something you care about, you need to realize that just giving money away is not going to solve the problem. Instead, foreign aid alone makes nations dependent. It’s a very complex situation and much more nuanced than you would think. Please educate yourself. Read The End of Poverty, The White Man’s Burden, Dead Aid, The Bottom Billion, etc. Seriously, it really isn’t how it seems.

As for the high paying job, please remember, a lot of these high paying jobs require a certain dress standard. For women, this means having a good suit (both with pants and a skirt), good business casual (for both warm and cool weather), cocktail dresses, evening gowns, for whatever occasion and we’re expected to invest in makeup and jewelry as well. If it’s for a job, then it’s a necessity and therefore not irresponsible spending. And, if our makeup and jewelry are made under fair, just working conditions (can be found with some research, personally, I love jewelry from Ten Thousand Villages and will spend there, because it’s good quality and it helps the artisans earn money to support families), then that money is going to help artisans and other workers build their livelihoods. But yes, that could be part of the “lavish spending” you see.

Also, vacations are sometimes necessities. My family has two kids going to college this fall. They still take all of us on a trip to the Jersey Shore and rent a condo for a week. Why? So we could take time away from our lives and bond as a family, of course! It does all of us well to relax on the beach and read, write poetry, go running together, get some sun, and eat all your typical boardwalk fare. And my mother and I will usually go to the procession for the Feast of the Assumption. We come home a lot more relaxed and everyone’s ready to start school again or work again. Plus, the money we spend on the Shore allows the workers to benefit from tourism.

Now, for the realities of money. Master’s degrees don’t guarantee anything. I have several fellow waiters who’ve graduated with multiple advanced degrees, great grades and internships and still are underemployed. Even if you have a high salary (especially as a doctor or lawyer), it’s to compensate for the amount of debt you have to pay upon graduation. Meanwhile, those of us still in undergrad are scrambling, trying to make ourselves stand out. I’ve thought of completing a nursing program, just so that I can help people, but also have a financially viable skill that I could use in my field (International Development). I’m completing bar tending training, so that I can always have a fall back plan. Or doing volunteer programs overseas, programs that pay for expenses, so I can gain knowledge and skills while still giving myself time to build upon my career. What does this mean? It means it’s going to be awhile before Sancta sees some serious cash flow.

In conclusion, there’s a lot more to money, poverty, consumption and frugality than meets the eye. It’s a very complex issue, involving institutions we’ve created. I suggest you do your research before passing judgments on your sisters in faith.

 

[crazydyl]

To those with no brain that think spending money is good for the economy and helping people.

1. you keep on buying things that you don’t need
2. you reduce limited resources on the planet
3. you would therefore be causing inflation, as when there is less supply the resources become more expensive
4. the poor people in the world can’t afford to buy food because you’ve inflated the prices because you’ve over indulged

You think that you’re not harming anyone, but you’re:

1. increasing prices of food for the poor
2. reducing money that you could have sent to them for food

Just because the world is bad that doesn’t mean that you shoudl make it worse. It’s simple economics.

We have the ability to create much more than we did 50 years ago, but poverty is getting worse - you do the maths.

 

[Jea9]

To those with no brain that think spending money is good for the economy and helping people.

1. you keep on buying things that you don’t need
2. you reduce limited resources on the planet
3. you would therefore be causing inflation, as when there is less supply the resources become more expensive
4. the poor people in the world can’t afford to buy food because you’ve inflated the prices because you’ve over indulged

You think that you’re not harming anyone, but you’re:

1. increasing prices of food for the poor
2. reducing money that you could have sent to them for food

Just because the world is bad that doesn’t mean that you shoudl make it worse. It’s simple economics.

We have the ability to create much more than we did 50 years ago, but poverty is getting worse - you do the maths.

Can you give a rundown of the specific things you do to combat this? You have said you’re “saving money” I’m not sure how that helps any poor people.

Also, I think it would be wise for you to stop the personal attacks such as “you people with no brain” as you’re not speaking with any charity and it could likely get you banned. That is one of the forum rules you know.

 

[Jea9]

EDIT: Sorry, I just read that it was LotusCars that said he saves money doesn’t spend it. But still, you have primarily talked down to people and not mentioned anything specific, except for “give to the starving in Congo…” or something to that effect.

 

[crazydyl]

EDIT: Sorry, I just read that it was LotusCars that said he saves money doesn’t spend it. But still, you have primarily talked down to people and not mentioned anything specific, except for “give to the starving in Congo…” or something to that effect.

Yeah, saving money would reduce the inflation increase/decrease because there’d be less aggregate demand with an increased percentage level of marginal propensity to save. This would allow more people to buy more items at a lower price, so people in Congo would be able to buy more stuff.

Saving money, instea dof spending it, would help people in Congo.

Now, would it be ok to give to the poor? haha because then we’d be increasing aggregate demand. If you think about it, if these people in Congo are buying more food then the supply for food would go up as this resource becomes less available. What you would get though, is more resources being devoted to food for people in Congo rather than making things that we don’t ‘need’.

So the best thing to do would be to send the money to Congo so that you would have spent on luxury items, so that resources are put in place to increase supply of food to Congo which would also reduce levels of prices of food for people in Congo. Then you’d have a lot of people competing to produce food to the people of Congo at the lowest price as that market became saturated with firms.

 

[crazydyl]

I am from the planet ‘everybody loves each other’ and it’s in another galaxy

Love one another, because this is more important than luxury items and vacations! You love yourself and holidays more than starving people! Wow! Please help them

 

[StJudePray4Me]

I am from the planet ‘everybody loves each other’ and it’s in another galaxy

Love one another, because this is more important than luxury items and vacations! You love yourself and holidays more than starving people! Wow! Please help them

Actually, it seems you live on the planet “I am right, everyone else is stupid.” I won’t be visiting with you there.

 

[sanctamaria17]

I’m just saying, as someone who studies this and makes this her work, that you’re being simplistic.

Donating food to the Congo may help for awhile. What happens when the food runs out?

They need to LEARN how to make their own. They need ACCESS to resources, to power, to the markets, to have more than food but voices and platforms to stand for their rights as people.

Also, they’re starving in Congo because of wars. Do you think we should be going to war, to stop it?

That’s not going to come because some Western people stop going on vacations. Hell, some of the Westerner’s vacations may be some lucky person’s employment, with wages that are sending their children to school.

Dude, it takes serious prayer, work, activism, blood, sweat, and tears to do what you hope to accomplish. Money isn’t even HALF of it.

 

[crazydyl]

I’m just saying, as someone who studies this and makes this her work, that you’re being simplistic.

Donating food to the Congo may help for awhile. What happens when the food runs out?

They need to LEARN how to make their own. They need ACCESS to resources, to power, to the markets, to have more than food but voices and platforms to stand for their rights as people.

Also, they’re starving in Congo because of wars. Do you think we should be going to war, to stop it?

That’s not going to come because some Western people stop going on vacations. Hell, some of the Westerner’s vacations may be some lucky person’s employment, with wages that are sending their children to school.

Dude, it takes serious prayer, work, activism, blood, sweat, and tears to do what you hope to accomplish. Money isn’t even HALF of it.

I know enough about economics, but I was just using Congo as an example. I know that they need more than money…

Basically, we should give money away. You may think that you’re smart but you’re all just selfish like the rich man that wouldn’t give his stuff away. To actually admit that you’d rather go on holiday than help the poor… What a disgrace!

I’m not commenting about this anymore because you’re not going to change you’re attitude which is disgusting.

 

[crazydyl]

Actually, it seems you live on the planet “I am right, everyone else is stupid.” I won’t be visiting with you there.

Ok, so how are you right? You can’t honestly tell me that it’s ok to go on holiday rather than help someone who is starving to death… You’re not a good person if you can say that, surely? How am I wrong?

 

[crazydyl]

I’m right about our impact on the poor by spending money on luxury items which is a fact.

Then we can say we should have programmes to help them be self-sufficient.

Greedy people!

 

[sanctamaria17]

Did I ever say I wanted to go on holiday rather than help the poor?

No. I didn’t.

I never did.

Don’t put words in my mouth.

And if you know all about economics, why didn’t you comment on ANY of the sources I suggested? They’re all by economists.

 

[crazydyl]

Did I ever say I wanted to go on holiday rather than help the poor?

No. I didn’t.

I never did.

Don’t put words in my mouth.

And if you know all about economics, why didn’t you comment on ANY of the sources I suggested? They’re all by economists.

Because I’m talking about basic spending habits! Do you want me to write up a plan to save Congo? This thread is about spending habits

 

[crazydyl]

Yes, people working for firms producing luxury items will have to lose their jobs and retrain. Better to change for the better than keep something which is bad.