Comments on: (1of4) Blog Crossover: More Of What I Don’t Need http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/ The Art of Living Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:13:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Christ Centered Dad » Blog Archive » Consumerism: A blog-crossover http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-6804 Christ Centered Dad » Blog Archive » Consumerism: A blog-crossover Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:31:15 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-6804 [...] Brad Ruggles, Clayton Bell, Terrace Crawford and Zak White have each posted about consumerism on their blogs today in MEGA blog-crossover event! [...] [...] Brad Ruggles, Clayton Bell, Terrace Crawford and Zak White have each posted about consumerism on their blogs today in MEGA blog-crossover event! [...]

]]> By: joseph http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5650 joseph Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:53:33 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5650 Amen Brad...love this piece. It is amazing isn't it and when someone points it out it becomes even worse. Driving to grab a cup of coffee this morning it was like all the ads popped up that I had never noticed before. My wife and I are very lucky and blessed now but several years ago we had to make changes. We were all about what to buy next and the coolest of everything. After a near job loss, we turned to Dave Ramsey and have never looked back. Debt free for 5 years now and no worries even in a bad economy. Our 5 year old is starting his Junior program and has envelopes for saving, giving and spending and is starting to really get it. I think the trick is simple. Use cash, cause it hurts more, and act like you want your children to be. If you do it, more than likely your children will. My proudest moment came about 3 weeks ago when my daughter pulled out $2 she had been given from a friend and walked it up to our angel tree at church, without prompting..her idea. She gave it to them and said "there are boys and girls who need this much more than me"...that is when I realized our decisions several years ago were HUGE. Merry Christmas to you and your family. <abbr><em>joseph’s last blog post..<a href="http://movingthroughlife.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/something-is-wrong-with-this-picture/" rel="nofollow">Something Is Wrong With This Picture</a></abbr></em> Amen Brad…love this piece.

It is amazing isn’t it and when someone points it out it becomes even worse. Driving to grab a cup of coffee this morning it was like all the ads popped up that I had never noticed before.

My wife and I are very lucky and blessed now but several years ago we had to make changes. We were all about what to buy next and the coolest of everything. After a near job loss, we turned to Dave Ramsey and have never looked back. Debt free for 5 years now and no worries even in a bad economy.

Our 5 year old is starting his Junior program and has envelopes for saving, giving and spending and is starting to really get it.

I think the trick is simple. Use cash, cause it hurts more, and act like you want your children to be. If you do it, more than likely your children will. My proudest moment came about 3 weeks ago when my daughter pulled out $2 she had been given from a friend and walked it up to our angel tree at church, without prompting..her idea. She gave it to them and said “there are boys and girls who need this much more than me”…that is when I realized our decisions several years ago were HUGE.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

joseph’s last blog post..Something Is Wrong With This Picture

]]> By: zalaine http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5601 zalaine Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:57:40 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5601 Thanks for dropping by ER - I think Christmas will always be an issue that touches us at a level we aren't too proud of. Merry Christmas to you and yours, look forward to reading more in 2009... Thanks for dropping by ER – I think Christmas will always be an issue that touches us at a level we aren’t too proud of. Merry Christmas to you and yours, look forward to reading more in 2009…

]]> By: Brad Gross http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5597 Brad Gross Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:45:12 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5597 Hey Brad! Thanks for the recent comments. I hope you and your family have a great Christmas! Hope this finds you well, and I love the new blog layout. Many Blessings, Brad <abbr><em>Brad Gross’s last blog post..<a href="http://www.iheartbrad.com/?p=143" rel="nofollow">Falling Off The Grid A Bit…kind of likin’ it!</a></abbr></em> Hey Brad! Thanks for the recent comments. I hope you and your family have a great Christmas! Hope this finds you well, and I love the new blog layout.

Many Blessings,
Brad

Brad Gross’s last blog post..Falling Off The Grid A Bit…kind of likin’ it!

]]> By: karen http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5583 karen Sat, 20 Dec 2008 02:17:23 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5583 I don't have kids, but I've seen a lot of really good and bad examples. I've had to learn to resist the "if I want it buy it" mentality. I remember having a conversation with a 12 year old. I asked how much money she would need to have in her pocket before she would give some of it away. $50? She said no... she couldn't even buy a sweater for that. It made me sad for her. (Thanks for stopping by my blog today... it's my first visit to yours as well) I don’t have kids, but I’ve seen a lot of really good and bad examples. I’ve had to learn to resist the “if I want it buy it” mentality. I remember having a conversation with a 12 year old. I asked how much money she would need to have in her pocket before she would give some of it away. $50? She said no… she couldn’t even buy a sweater for that. It made me sad for her.

(Thanks for stopping by my blog today… it’s my first visit to yours as well)

]]> By: Nick http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5546 Nick Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:33:04 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5546 We started teaching our oldest son to save his money beginning around the late 2's or 3's - As soon as he started recognizing what money was. He was so excited the first time he saved up enough money to go to Chuck E Cheese. He now has a piggy bank where he saves his money for most of what he wants. We are not the best at making him pay for his stuff or saving to get it, but that's almost impossible when you have great kids like I do :) <abbr><em>Nick’s last blog post..<a href="http://www.nickcarnes.com/?p=1533" rel="nofollow">TCAG Community Group Christmas Party</a></abbr></em> We started teaching our oldest son to save his money beginning around the late 2’s or 3’s – As soon as he started recognizing what money was. He was so excited the first time he saved up enough money to go to Chuck E Cheese. He now has a piggy bank where he saves his money for most of what he wants. We are not the best at making him pay for his stuff or saving to get it, but that’s almost impossible when you have great kids like I do :)

Nick’s last blog post..TCAG Community Group Christmas Party

]]> By: Jeff http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5520 Jeff Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:33:25 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5520 Raising a child to go against the consumeristic flow… More theoretically, each my daughters (they’re 3 know, so as they’re able to understand it) about the Gospel and it’s material implications (following Jesus=radical generosity and moving away from self for the sake of others in his name, motivated by the love he gives us). Practically, as of this year the adults in our family have agreed to not exchange traditional gifts, neither will my wife and I. We’ve made a contribution to an international Christian organization that will help to meet very real needs and alleviate some suffering. Each sibling is doing a different project and that is our gift to every adult on both sides of our family. We will continue to give gifts to each other’s children in the hopes that as they mature and witness our Christmas habits and ask us about them, that they’ll want to do the same. We’ve also intentionally moved into a low-income neighborhood so that we can live in close contact with people that have real needs every day. My girls will grow up witnessing the interactions of their parents attempting to respond to these needs faithfully and wisely. In addition to this we work for a ministry heavily involved in the 3rd world. We travel back and forth quite a bit. We take the girls for about 3 weeks out of the year. Assuming God has not called us to something different 20 years from now, I can’t imagine how this will help shape their world view. Because I’ve worked with a short-term missions organization for 7 years now I do know that is helpful to take children (8 and older approximately) on short-term trips with their parents. It offers a great opportunity for discipleship. I have one family in particular in mind whose daughter refuses to go to Disneyland with the family because she wants that vacation money and time to go towards their trip to the Dominican Republic for a short-term mission’s trip. Their son had a birthday party where he asked all of his friends to bring soccer equipment as a gift so that he could send it to his Haitian friend doing soccer ministry in the Dominican Republic among Haitian immigrants. This kind of exposure can really make a difference and transform the hearts of an entire family. That’s what we’re up to and what I recommend so far. We’ll see how it goes. Grace, Peace and Merry Christmas <abbr><em>Jeff’s last blog post..<a href="http://heartsinhispaniola.blogspot.com/2008/12/help-rogers-ministry-with-go-by.html" rel="nofollow">Help the Rogers' Ministry With G.O. by...</a></abbr></em> Raising a child to go against the consumeristic flow…
More theoretically, each my daughters (they’re 3 know, so as they’re able to understand it) about the Gospel and it’s material implications (following Jesus=radical generosity and moving away from self for the sake of others in his name, motivated by the love he gives us).
Practically, as of this year the adults in our family have agreed to not exchange traditional gifts, neither will my wife and I. We’ve made a contribution to an international Christian organization that will help to meet very real needs and alleviate some suffering. Each sibling is doing a different project and that is our gift to every adult on both sides of our family. We will continue to give gifts to each other’s children in the hopes that as they mature and witness our Christmas habits and ask us about them, that they’ll want to do the same.
We’ve also intentionally moved into a low-income neighborhood so that we can live in close contact with people that have real needs every day. My girls will grow up witnessing the interactions of their parents attempting to respond to these needs faithfully and wisely. In addition to this we work for a ministry heavily involved in the 3rd world. We travel back and forth quite a bit. We take the girls for about 3 weeks out of the year. Assuming God has not called us to something different 20 years from now, I can’t imagine how this will help shape their world view.
Because I’ve worked with a short-term missions organization for 7 years now I do know that is helpful to take children (8 and older approximately) on short-term trips with their parents. It offers a great opportunity for discipleship. I have one family in particular in mind whose daughter refuses to go to Disneyland with the family because she wants that vacation money and time to go towards their trip to the Dominican Republic for a short-term mission’s trip. Their son had a birthday party where he asked all of his friends to bring soccer equipment as a gift so that he could send it to his Haitian friend doing soccer ministry in the Dominican Republic among Haitian immigrants. This kind of exposure can really make a difference and transform the hearts of an entire family.
That’s what we’re up to and what I recommend so far. We’ll see how it goes.

Grace, Peace and Merry Christmas

Jeff’s last blog post..Help the Rogers’ Ministry With G.O. by…

]]> By: Geo http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5519 Geo Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:24:18 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5519 This subject always comes up at Christmas time. Am I going to give my kids stuff for Christmas? Oh you bet! Am I going to give my wife something really nice? Of course. You save and stash and then give from your heart and give big! I hate paying the price at Amercian Eagle or AF or Gap but I saved for it and that's what the kids want so they'll get it. You overload your credit cards for stuff because you didn't plan ahead, ahhh, that makes one a fool. I think too that guys like us need to be really careful with our need for IPhones, the conferences and all the cool stuff on sale at the conferences. It's a different kind of materialism but just the same. OK, y'all can slam me now! HA! This subject always comes up at Christmas time.
Am I going to give my kids stuff for Christmas? Oh you bet!
Am I going to give my wife something really nice? Of course.
You save and stash and then give from your heart and give big! I hate paying the price at Amercian Eagle or AF or Gap but I saved for it and that’s what the kids want so they’ll get it.
You overload your credit cards for stuff because you didn’t plan ahead, ahhh, that makes one a fool.

I think too that guys like us need to be really careful with our need for IPhones, the conferences and all the cool stuff on sale at the conferences. It’s a different kind of materialism but just the same.

OK, y’all can slam me now! HA!

]]> By: Christ-Centered Dad » Blog Archive » Consumerism: A blog-crossover http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5518 Christ-Centered Dad » Blog Archive » Consumerism: A blog-crossover Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:07:09 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5518 [...] Brad Ruggles, Clayton Bell, Terrace Crawford and Zak White have each posted about consumerism on their blogs today in MEGA blog-crossover event! [...] [...] Brad Ruggles, Clayton Bell, Terrace Crawford and Zak White have each posted about consumerism on their blogs today in MEGA blog-crossover event! [...]

]]> By: Clayton Bell | Online » (2 of 4) Blog Crossover: More of the same? http://www.bradruggles.com/2008/12/18/more-of-what-i-dont-need/comment-page-1/#comment-5516 Clayton Bell | Online » (2 of 4) Blog Crossover: More of the same? Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:20:29 +0000 http://www.bradruggles.com/?p=1523#comment-5516 [...] and consumerism on our blogs, each from a different perspective. I encourage you to read part one on Brad’s blog, part three on Terrace’s blog, and part four on Zak’s blog. Now, on with the [...] [...] and consumerism on our blogs, each from a different perspective. I encourage you to read part one on Brad’s blog, part three on Terrace’s blog, and part four on Zak’s blog. Now, on with the [...]

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