Are you living beyond your means?

[TripletDaddy]

First define "living beyond your means," then it will be easier to answer your question.

Is it a simple "rev > expenses" approach?

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

First define "living beyond your means," then it will be easier to answer your question.

Is it a simple "rev > expenses" approach?

I use the same definition approach as the apostles.

[BarbaraGordon]

I had considered posting about my church's sermon yesterday. Keep in mind that I go to a bubblegum church. One of the criticisms of these mega churches is that they're all grace and no works. That they never want to step on anybody's toes or make anybody uncomfortable. This one is in a pretty affluent area where everybody drives luxury cars and the kids all go to private school.

Well yesterday he didn't pull any punches. He said, hey, if you're upset about the economy because your stocks plummeted, or because you can't make your house payments anymore, or because you're upside down in your SUV and can't find anybody to buy it...well, don't come crying to me. If you'd been living by biblical principles you'd never have found yourself in a 4500 s.f. house driving two Escalades on $150k per year.

I was impressed.

[ute4ever]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

...If you'd been living by biblical principles you'd never have found yourself in a 4500 s.f. house driving two Escalades on $150k per year.

I was impressed.

Any idea what the pastor's salary is? The late Adrian Rogers who built the Bellevue Baptist megachurch in Memphis (seating 7500) was pulling down over $1 million per year from his sermons and radio show.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by ute4ever

Any idea what the pastor's salary is? The late Adrian Rogers who built the Bellevue Baptist megachurch in Memphis (seating 7500) was pulling down over $1 million per year from his sermons and radio show.

I have no idea. They don't live the life, so to speak. They're certainly not up to Archaean standards. They drive corollas and live in a very average neighborhood. But they may be putting away a ton. A lot of the pastors out here pull a very healthy salary.

[RedHeadGal]

Probably. It seems to be human nature to spend what you have, plus a little more. I'm not much of a spender in general, but I'm certainly not living all that frugally (compared to what I could be doing).

It's also easy for people to point to their lives and the areas where they sacrifice or that seem more "grounded" and gloss over the areas where they spend. There are so many areas in which we spend and save, so many different sources of credits and debits, it's easy to make yourself believe you're okay when you're gradually sliding into financial difficulty, which is why I would expect the poll to reveal that virtually no one here is in this category.

[Solon]

I'm definitely living beyond my means. Like Fletch, I foolishly squander my paycheck on food and heat.

[cougjunkie]

Originally Posted by ute4ever

Any idea what the pastor's salary is? The late Adrian Rogers who built the Bellevue Baptist megachurch in Memphis (seating 7500) was pulling down over $1 million per year from his sermons and radio show.

I posted on CB a while ago I was watching that show My Super Sweet 16 on MTV, the girls dad was a pastor he lived in about a 15000 sq ft house on the water in Baltimore. One of the biggest houses I ahve ever seen, and he spent close to 2 million on his daughters birthday.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by cougjunkie

he spent close to 2 million on his daughters birthday.

Awesome.

I added up what we spent altogether on my 9-year-old's birthday this week and I was flabbergasted. My parents would be horrified.

[Coach McGuirk]

I could take over a 50% cut in my earnings and I would be able to afford my house, my cars, and the likes. I am sure I would have to scale down donations, vacations and other frivolous activities when I have to make that adjustment. I think I live well within my means.