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Friday, October 15, 2010

My Struggle with food

I don't struggle with my weight, I'm 128lbs.  I struggle with a love for food.  I spend too much money on food, exceeding my weekly budget when I should be saving money.  I throw away food that I've lost interest in, let it get old, spoiled.  I get Starbucks latte's every weekend when I could make them at home.  I love eating at Chick Fil A, Whole Foods buffet, Bonefish Grill, Cracker Barrel, the list could keep going.

Then I read this from Ann Voskamp

and my heart breaks because I know I can do better.  My parents didn't raise me to consume food like this.  We rarely ate out and by rarely I mean once a year if that!  We never ate fast food, except on vacations.  Mom didn't throw food away and the scraps that were available were given to the chickens.

How did I get so careless as an adult?  Too big of a paycheck?  Enough money to spend frivolously but yet not enough to sponsor more than one Compassion child?

I ask my husband if we can sponsor another child and he tells me sure, if we can afford it.

I read an article saying Walmart noticed a spike in sales at midnight on the last day of the month because that's when food stamps and government checks are renewed so they started stocking larger bulk items at this time, making sure plenty of formula and diapers were available.  A family of five sets aside $500 per month for all food and necessities.

We spend $600 - 700 per month, sometimes $1000 for two adults and two small children.  I cringe and cry with shame.  How can I ask God to help me with our mortgage crisis when I'm so irresponsible with what he has given me?

Can I redeem our budget in his eyes?

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