How to be Poor Successfully

As many of you know, I have been poor for a little over a year now. It started with the second worst financial decision on the planet: buying a house I couldn’t afford. I guess it wouldn’t have been SO bad if it hadn’t been an impulse buy that I was hoping would make me “significant.” …..ok, maybe it is THE WORST financial decision I could make, after all……IDIOT!

I have to cut myself some slack, though. I WAS a complete idiot a year ago. Now I am a recovering idiot. Along the way I have crossed the thresholds of “unhappy,” “poor and unhappy,” “poor, unhappy, and completely miserable,” (the envy of cynics across the land) and “financially comfortable and miserable.” But now I think I finally have it! Now I’m “successfully poor and happy.” What I mean is that I have accepted my financial situation and have learned how to survive AND be happy ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes I lose sleep over bills that are coming due, or I wake up frustrated that today is not the “Someday” that I’m out of debt and living financially comfortably. But most days I can just accept it. It was hard to accept at first because I had to give up so much.

No more going out to eat. (meh…it wasn’t healthy anyway)
No more going home every other weekend. (I’m being “green”)
No more Pizza Hut. (There’s really no good twist to this one. I mourned…)
No more variation in meals. (Planning meals is really easy now, ‘cuz…..I don’t have to plan!)
No more books. (I probably already have about 50 books that I haven’t read yet anyway)
No more new clothes. (This one kinda sucks too because all my clothes are 2 to 3 sizes too big, but I guess that’s better than the clothes being too small!)
No more credit cards. (Credit Cards are the devil!)
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

The list goes on. This was overwhelming at first, but I think I’ve finally found a balance.

Enough background. Here’s how to be poor successfully:

1.) Get involved at church. Really involved. I know there’s a whole long list of things that churches and church people do poorly, but there’s at least one thing I think everyone can agree that church people do well—EAT! Think about it. There are potlucks, cookouts, kick-offs, conferences, Bible studies, meetings, funerals, weddings, etc. etc. etc. All of them serve food! I can’t tell you how times I have breakfasted on cookies and coffee on a Sunday morning. If you want me to be perfectly honest, I’ve sometimes attended Bible study only because I knew there would be food there. The great thing about that is that my starving stomach and my starving soul got fed at the same time!

Of course, when you are so involved in church activities, it takes a toll on your gasoline budget. Being involved at church is also helpful here too. As it turns out, there are many wonderful people who are willing to give you a ride to church if you need it. It just takes honesty, humility, and a willingness to be the passenger, listen to someone else’s music, or *gasp* have a conversation with someone you may not know very well!

(Before you all start thinking I’m an insensitive moocher, I just want to say that I only found this out AFTER getting involved. My heart is sincerely in the right place J)

2.) Get used to manna. Since I don’t get three square meals a day, I want to make sure that when I do eat it’s healthy and filling. Thus, rice and beans…every day. Does it get old after a while? Yes. But keep in mind the Israelites who complained about manna so much that God finally gave them so much meat that they puked. If I get to eat a meal, any meal, I’m thankful. At less than $1.00 per rice and beans meal, I get to be thankful for two whole weeks! That’s right; it’s only about $1.00 per meal of rice and beans. Yes, I know that McDonald’s has delicious dollar menu items, but they are not as nutritious and filling as rice and beans. My rice and beans meal is packed full of protein (especially if you use black beans), fiber (only in brown rice), good fat (I cook with coconut oil), vitamins and minerals that even if I eat only one meal a day, I’m less malnourished than someone who eats three meals a day at McDonalds.

3.) Lighten up on the workouts. I used to work out six days a week while only consuming about 500-700 calories a day. I did this until my body broke down. At that point I had a choice to make: either stop working out so hard, or get sick. I didn’t have the choice to consume more calories, so I decided to give up the hard workouts in order to preserve calories. On the other hand, you mustn’t be completely lazy because hungry + no exercise = no sleep, which also helps break down the body. Taking Bella for 20-30 minute walks every day has turned out to be a good balance.

So, there ya go. Being poor isn’t so bad! I may not have extra income for entertainment and food, but the church activities I’m involved in provide both. Also, I get to be lazy and still stay skinny. Who doesn’t dream of that luxury from time to time!

Of course, you can’t appreciate any of this unless you just learn to accept your current state of affairs. Maybe I can’t go shopping for new clothes or get my nails done or get a new haircut like I did a little over a year ago, but I’m wiser, happier, and somehow more carefree than I was then. Some people might see my financial situation as a failure to succeed, but I’d have to argue that I’ve succeeded at being poor.