Could you imagine your grandmother treasure hunting in a dumpster?
Raised in the Depression era, my grandparents saved everything, lived frugally, and wasted nothing. They rented out apartments in a low-rent section of a small town. Often, when Pap called upon his tenants to collect the rent, they asked for an extension. A few even asked for loans.
If Pap had it to give, he gave. He gave them refurbished appliances when theirs broke. He gave clothes, blankets, and other goods. He was even known to give his spare cars so tenants could get to work.
When Nanny searched through the apartment’s dumpsters for valuables, she found plenty of discarded pizza boxes. It bothered them that their tenants ate expensive meals—better than they ate—but then struggled to pay bills.
One way Pap witnessed to them was through a special gift. He gave each a five-pound bag of potatoes and a lesson about financial stewardship. He said, “A pizza will last your family just one meal and costs too much. But a bag of potatoes will last an entire week for just a few dollars. You can make potatoes all different ways and never get bored. You can bake, fry, mash, and boil them and have money left in your pocket. Not so with a pizza.”
At ninety, Pap still helps people transition into affordable housing, forever modeling and teaching stewardship, sacrifice, and generosity in the Lord’s name—following this and other biblical principles.
God is able to help guide all our financial choices … to help us spend our money wisely and to give generously to others. After all, our money—and everything we have—is His anyway.
Trust God to provide for your needs and to guide you in your financial decisions.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Gina Napoli lives in Harrisburg, PA, and is author of Clunk on the Head: How the Holy Spirit Got Our Attention. She has also been published in Highlights for Children, Pockets, Guardian Angel Kids, Hopscotch, and Humpty Dumpty. She publishes articles regularly in two regional publications: The Burg and Business Woman. She also publishes in the state-wide online magazine, Keystone Edge. Her writing is featured in two book anthologies: A Community of Writers and Bitter Sweet. Two hundred of her pieces appear in almost sixty different print and electronic media venues.