Saturday Night Lessons - Part I

It's not a new fact, but something I forget often: 

it is expensive to be poor. 

[Please note that while the statement bears true everywhere, the story below still depicts people with what I can only assume to be more or less sustainable lifestyles. Most of them had cars, enough money to buy cigarettes, and only one showed signs of malnourishment. The chaff-spot for me is that it all happened less than one mile from my front door.] 

I can be embarrassingly cheap. 

(If you tell my Dad, I'll deny).

But really. Here are some examples just from Saturday: 

• Asked the Post Office how much a money order is...doesn't sound like a cheap thing, right? What if I told you it's a plot to withdraw cash from my credit card throughout the month for rent; because at my current rent rate, even after paying for the money order, that means I get $2.50/mo. from the 1% cash back feature on my card? Outlandish, but it translates into $30 of free Amazon shopping per year. 
• Intentionally did not charge the phone on Friday night...because I knew errands would be run on Saturday that would allow me to charge it from my (free) car battery and the (free) plug at a local coffee haunt.
• Defrosted frozen food items on top of my fridge (the best hotspot in my apartment - and yes, that does mean our wireless is patchy)... may not sound like a big deal, but it meant eating dinner hrs later than my body wanted just to save. 
• Rescrubbed dishes before turning on the dishwasher...cause no way it's going to be run it twice. You need Cascade? I'll cascade those stains down the DRAIN.
• Also,  loading the dishwasher is basically Tetris... Game. On. 

I'll stop there to save some dignity. 

But there was something I chose to do yesterday that was incredibly expensive. 

I went to a laundromat. 

[Now, what does this have to do with obedience? Well. I've been convicted about how much I have, despite being in the lower US income bracket. It's more than just a post-college budgeting crisis, because obviously the pennies get pinched. But am I using these tactics to create margin for myself or to love God by obeying His commandments, and choose to willingly benefit others in their needs for physical provisions and the gospel?]

But the LORD abides forever; 

He has established His throne for judgment, 

And He will judge the world in righteousness; 

He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity 

The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, 

A stronghold in times of trouble; 

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, 

For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Psalms 9:7-10