Friday, July 25, 2008

Frugal Friday: Do unto Others...



This week for Frugal Friday, I'd like to remember an important principle. Sometimes some of us in the frugal mindset can have a "hoarding" mentality...not all, but some...sometimes. Whenever I find myself in this mood, I have to go back to the words of my favorite Rabbi..."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
This concept, also called middah k'neged middah (measure for measure) in Hebrew, is one that just makes sense and I've yet to find someone who disagrees with its profound truth. However, no matter how true it is that "what goes around comes around," sometimes I see myself acting just plain greedy. That's why it's important to remember that the purpose of a frugal lifestyle is NOT to amass more for myself - but so that I free up more of my resources to "love G-d with all my heart, soul and mind" and to "love my neighbor as myself."
In our individualistic society, it's easy to forget about the needs of others. The good news is that with our frugal lifestyles we can find more creative ways to help those in need, while making sure that our families are taken care of as well. I've read stories of women who have baked apple pies for the their cashiers at CVS and I've seen my CVSing friends at work give boxes of toiletries to foundations that help. It's inspiring, and I know it will come back on these ladies. Little acts of kindness come back in big ways.
For more Frugal Friday ideas, head back to Biblical Womanhood.
Graphic courtesy of Allposters.com.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree 100%! It concerns me when I see huge stock piles in peoples homes posted on their blogs. I have often thought about the story in the Bible where the Lord refills a widow's oil jar over and over again because she was faithful to give to His prophet Elijah. When we give in the Lord's name, He will provide.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree. I love to bake goodies for friends and neighbors and give of what we can to others.

Brooke said...

i love giving CVS gift baskets. its almost as fun as the bargain hunting itself!

Audra Krell said...

Great reminder! I love the pie story for the CVS cashier, those moments in life are so special.