The Bible on Keeping Up with the Joneses

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

Today I'm posting Proverbs 13:7, a short verse that I call the "keeping up with the Joneses" verse.  From the NIV:

One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

This seems to be the norm in America. So many people buy and buy and buy to try and impress themselves and others that they actually end up broke. Contrast them with many of the wealthy who lead average, simple lives, and accumulate great wealth in the process. Want to know more about this latter group? Check out the book The Millionaire Next Door.

And if you want more info on the unexpected habits of the wealthy, see these posts:

• What Real Millionaires Do


• A Story from a Millionaire Next Door


• Manage Your Finances and Think Like a Millionaire

Thoughts and comments?

Comments

[Keith]

The ostentatious lifestyle has never appealed to me. Probably because I have not liked the spotlight. Personally, I'd rather lead an average, simple life, but accumulate great wealth behind the scenes.

[Matt]

I don't pretend to be rich and I don't pretend to be poor. I just am who I am. I give of my time to help and don't seek to be seen.

Some have noticed that money is not a problem in our house but treat us just like people and we treat others the same reguardless.

We don't judge because we know we are blessed.

[Old Limey]

I agree with Keith but I would change one word. Instead of "great wealth" I am satisfied with "sufficient wealth".

However one's life is too precious to spend it all getting your formal education, working, sleeping, raising a family, and being entertained. In our case it was very important to travel to as much of the world as we were able. Travel gives you an appreciation for other cultures, many much older than our own and you can learn a lot and broaden your mind by travelling to Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem, and of course other Christian countries and seeing firsthand how the rest of the world lives under systems far different from our own.

[Veronica @ Pelican on Money]

Old Limey has a point. We can learn a lot from seeing how people in other cultures live. We often focus on success, as if success brings happiness - after all that's what we're after - happiness. I'm not saying we shouldn't strive to live without money problems, but simply that there is joy in little things in life that the Western lifestyle seems to often overlook.

[Kelly@FinancialBailoutNews]

The small suburb of Boston that I hail from is incredibly guilty of this. There is no way that the people of my small town (in which real estate and property taxes are sky high) can afford the luxuries they do while still being able to save money. Most of the families I know have either a stay at home parent, or one parent who works as a teacher or police officers. So how are they driving BMW's and belong to the local country club to golf every weekend? No idea.

[JayB]

I am like Keith and Matt in that I try to fly under the radar. I am by no means wealthy, but I realize I am blessed and do tend to have more or nicer things than the average around here. Mostly it is due to my nature of saving and the opposite actions by others around me in this low income state of Alabama.

I just moved into a condo 3 months ago and I kept my tv box for a 40inch flatscreen that I picked up for about $500 on sale years ago. Anyway, I used the box to move the tv in because it had the foam and all and was very sturdy. After I moved, the box was sitting in my garage and a neighbor walked by and saw it. She made a comment to my friend like "what did he hit the lottery?" This kind of angered me because for one, she was looking to see what I have. Two, she was obviously jealous over an item that in my mind is no big deal, and three, she will tell others because she is a rumor mill.

This is reason enough for me to be as private as I can and not showcase anything.

I agree with Old Limey as well, I really enjoy traveling and I find other cultures fascinating! I would like to visit places where the people don't value a person on their possessions. Our society is very much influenced by material items.