What to Ask Before You Spend

This is going to be a brief post, though you might find it weighty.

As we talk about the subject of money this month and consider the stewardship of our material resources in a rule of life practice, I thought to share with you some of the financial discernment questions I’ve written in my rule. These questions are meant to challenge my consumerist impulses. My husband might say they’re not working hard enough—but I do think I’m growing, however slowly.

Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos on Unsplash

A couple of resources have been important for me in putting these questions together.

1. First, Scripture. The passage I return to most often, when considering how to love God, not money, is 1 Tim. 6:5-10, 17-19.

2. Second, Christian books. Here, I’ve found Rebecca DeYoung’s Glittering Vices to be an invaluable resource. It’s an exploration of the seven deadly sins. Also, at the end of Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines, he writes a chapter entitled, “Is Poverty Spiritual?” I found it extremely helpful and balanced, though I can also admit I didn’t want to read it initially. Finally, I’m currently reading Marva Dawn’s Unfettered Hope: A Call to Faithful Living in an Affluent Society and hope to soon begin Vincent Miller’s Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture.

Without further ado, here are the questions:

1. Do I know how much this costs? (An obvious one, but a good beginning for me.)

2. Is there a more economical option? What are good reasons for paying more?

3. Is this something too precious to share without anxiety?

4. Is this something I can easily operate and fix?

5. Are there ways I can make do without this?

6. Is this something I need? Need now?

7. Is this a frivolous comfort spend?

8. Am I buying what I truly value?

9. Have I discussed this with Ryan?

10. Am I complicating my life with this purchase?

Rebecca DeYoung has a more general question that I’ve also written in my rule. I find it extremely challenging: “If I keep handling possessions like this for the next ten or twenty years, what sort of character will I develop and what kind of person will I become?”

If you have other discernment questions you’ve found helpful for financial stewardship, I hope you’ll share them in the chat!