My Experience with "7" by Jen Hatmaker--Week 6 (Spending)

For the sixth topic of her book "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess", Jen Hatmaker tackles the subject of spending.  She talked about her own struggles with spending more than she could afford just to have the house, the car, the vacations, etc. that she felt she "deserved".  How easy it is to envy the material possessions of those around us, and spend our money selfishly and unwisely to try to match them! 

To combat this cycle of overspending, Jen decided that her family would make purchases from 7 vendors/areas that  month: Target, the farmer's market, one gas station, an emergency medical fund, etc.  They would not eat out at restaurants, go out to the movie theater, or really spend money on anything but the essentials.

To do this for a month could be a good challenge, but to spend money at seven places in one week actually seemed excessive to me.  So what would my personal challenge be for Spending Week?  I thought about this a lot, even trying to figure out if I could spend only $7 per day ($49 for the week--the answer was no, I couldn't even keep my weekly grocery bill below that amount!)

As our Bible Study reviewed the chapter, however, a plan came into focus.  On Day 20 of this chapter, Jen gives three ideas for breaking away from our culture of spending:

1. Nonconsumption.  Just say, "I'm not buying that." And even, "Just because I can have it doesn't mean I should."  So my first marching orders for the week were to make do with what I have, think very carefully before buying anything, reduce my spending...

"No, Benji, we can't buy that stuffed Yoda...we're on a budget here.  But you do look really cute together!"

This one comes fairly naturally to me, as I don't love shopping and spending money.  Thriftiness is practically part of my DNA (when I went on road trips as a kid, my parents packed our own bowls, cereal, and milk so we didn't have to eat out for breakfast.  This is how we do things.)  But Jen's other two ideas were more challenging for me:

2. Redirect that money saved.  Don't just stick it all in your own bank account to spend next week; give it away to someone who needs it more.  I love saving money so that I can see my net worth growing; this shows thriftiness, but not generosity!  And it certainly does not reflect what Jesus would have me do with the money God has given us!  Do I think that Christians should never have savings accounts?  Absolutely not; God calls us to be good stewards of our money, and part of that is saving for expenses we will need to cover in the future.  But I err too much on the side of saving and too little on the side of giving.  I like to think that once I've tithed for the month, the rest of the money is "mine"...how foolish!  How very much like the camel trying to fit through the eye of a needle...

3. Become wiser consumers.  Choose vendors who produce goods without oppressing the poor and destroying the environment.  Do some research to find out "if products are made with integrity or on the backs of slaves and children."  This is something I've hardly even considered.  If I see a shirt on sale for $5 I'm tempted to buy it because, hey, I'm saving money!  But there is probably a reason that the shirt is so inexpensive.  Could it have something to do with sweat shops?  Child labor in southeast Asia?  I've never stopped to consider these things...

So, how did the week go?  We spent $79.19 between groceries, our produce co-op contribution, and mailing a birthday gift to my nephew.  I stayed away from Amazon.com and other potential temptations.  On an average week, I would say we spend about $100 on groceries and other purchases (we're not counting rent, utilities, or other spending like that, nor tithing/charitable giving here).  So if we spent $80 this week, that's a $20 reduction.

I have not decided yet where to give the money saved, but I plan to!  As for becoming a wiser consumer, I've discovered that many of my favorite clothing brands like GAP and Old Navy have been known to produce much of their clothing in sweatshops with dangerous, unethical conditions.  I need to learn more about this, but for now, I'm going to try to buy clothing second-hand so at least we are not directly increasing demand or production for this kind of product.

My take-aways from this week are simple, yet convicting:
1. "Just because I can have it doesn't mean I should."
2.  Saving money must not just lead to hoarding it for myself, but giving generously to others.

My Experience with "7" by Jen Hatmaker--Week 5 (Waste)

The fifth chapter of Jen Hatmaker's book, "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess", looked at the environmental impacts of our wasteful American lifestyle.  For one month, she made seven changes to the way she lived that would decrease waste, from recycling everything possible to planting a garden and only driving one vehicle as a family.

Some of this chapter made me rather envious: Austin, TX in the summertime seems to be a haven for farmer's markets and local foodie joints, both of which do not exist in Gallup, NM during the winter.  Jen Hatmaker might be able to shop and eat local for a month in Austin, but these options were simply not available for me (and even if they were, think of the expense!)  However, as I thought about steps that I could take to be more environmentally conscious, seven ideas quickly came to mind:

• Pick up trash when I'm outside with Benji
• Take shorter showers (taking 15 min. showers in the desert is a crime, and I am guilty...)
• Turn off lights when I leave a room
• Visit the local co-op and see what's available
• Hang the diapers out on the line instead of using the dryer
• Look into possibilities of composting
• Recycle everything I can 

Most of these changes were so small, it really just required me to look around and be a bit more conscious of my surroundings: to recognize the trash I see on my daily walks with Benji, realize that I left a light on in the other room (and take half a second to turn it off!), keep track of the time I was wasting in the shower, etc.  These are tiny changes, but they could have big impacts over time.

Benji loved the picking up trash part; it's one of his favorite games!

My favorite thing about this week was finally going into our little co-op downtown, which I had never gotten around to for two reasons:

1. I thought the prices would be prohibitively expensive
2. It looked so small from the outside, I thought it would never sell the groceries that I actually need

Both of these assumptions proved untrue!  While some of the items in the store were quite expensive, I walked out with an organic avocado for just $0.79 (better than Safeway!) and a block of the most lovely, delicious feta cheese for less than $5 (plus it was produced "locally", in Tucumcari, NM!)  I also discovered that the co-op has bulk bins of rice, oats, gluten-free flour, spices, and more, all at good prices.  I will be going back again!

My main take-away this week was that, as a consumer, I generally make decisions based on price and health.  If something is very expensive, I don't buy it; if something is very unhealthy, I don't buy it.  If something is healthy and cheap, I buy it without a second thought!  The factor that never plays into my decisions is the environmental impact of the product.  Local, organic, and responsibly-produced goods tend to be quite expensive, and so I pass them right by.  Jen makes a case for considering these options more, and I think she is on to something. 

1. God created the Earth and so He clearly cares about how we steward its resources
2. Environmentalism is not just for "earthy crunchy people" (as Jen puts it)--normal, non-hippie Christians should care about the Earth, too.  And there are plenty of small lifestyle changes I can make to do so!

My Experience with "7" by Jen Hatmaker--Week 4 (Media)

I have to admit, I was really dreading this week.  I knew that Jen was going to crack down on internet and media use, cutting her family off of seven devices (TV, video games, the internet--with exceptions for basic communication and work--etc.)

And I didn't need to read this chapter to already know that I am seriously addicted to media!  All day I look forward to sitting on the couch, knitting and watching Netflix while Benji takes a nap.  I break up long stretches of "baby time" by checking Facebook or reading Time magazine.  I listen to podcasts while I run...and the list goes on.  My life is constantly filled with this background "noise".  My theory is that I am craving adult input in my life because most of my daily social interaction comes from one-year-olds--but this is no good excuse.  The truth is, I chose to be home with my baby and I am so thankful that I can be!  Shouldn't I be giving him (and the other babies I watch) my full attention?

Since I don't think we even own seven devices as a family, this week I decided to turn off seven specific websites/types of media that are problematic for me:

• Netflix (or Hulu, or PBS.com...couldn't even watch Downton Abbey this week)  :-(
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Podcasts
• Distractions at the table (phone, magazines...)
• Pinterest
• TV, other than the news that's always on in the gym

 So, this week was indeed difficult.  Every time I turned on my computer, I reflexively started navigating to Facebook; at nap time, I found myself craving Netflix much as I craved sugar in week 1.  But as the week went on, I began to find my new, quieter rhythm rather refreshing--not to mention productive!

I got so much done that I had been putting off: I updated Benji's baby book and our photo album, deep-cleaned rooms of our house that I'd hardly touched in weeks, organized Benji's closet and my desk, wrote five blog posts, and finally cut Jonathan's hair (yay, we can see his ears again!)  Jonathan and I played board games in the evening and got to bed at a reasonable hour.

I wish I had a "before" picture to go with this "after" picture of our clean bathtub...but believe me, it was really dirty!  As I was helping Benji get into the tub that night, he looked down and said "Yucky all gone!"  If my one-year-old notice how dirty the tub was, I guess I put off cleaning it WAY too long!

Besides productivity, I found that I had more space inside of my head...without the constant noise, my thoughts could flow and wander and take in new ideas at a natural pace.  I felt more at rest and more at peace than I have in a long time.

What will this week mean for me and my family long-term?  Well, I'm back on Facebook, but with a browser extension that limits my time on the site to 15 minutes per day (and I haven't even hit that limit yet; turns out I can live with much less Facebook than previously believed!)  I am back to watching Netflix, but with a greater appreciation for watching it one episode at a time and turning it off before 10 PM (and a realization that binge watching Grey's Anatomy really intensifies my hypochondriasis!)

Media has a place in our lives, but can easily distract us from what is most important: time with God, time with our family, face-to-face time with a friend, and time just to sit and think.  I believe that much of the modern-day stress that we feel would melt away if we simply created more noise-free space in our lives.