Cutting Back Creatively
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Sarah McLachlan is one of my favorite singers/songwriters. Recently she starred in a music video that only cost her $15! In lieu of spending the normal $5000 on hair and makeup for the video shoot, or spending additional thousands on graphics and other production costs, she used the money to provide a year of schooling for 145 girls in Afghanistan (among several other worthy causes of her choosing.)
It's easy to point fingers at celebrities, thinking things like, "Look at the money they blow, like it's nothing: the gowns, the limos, the parties, the mansions, the jets. Why don't they do something about the AIDS epidemic, or poverty in America. Why is it up to me?" But haven't we ALL been blessed in one way or another? When we judge celebrities, aren't we just magnifying our own blind tendencies to spend in excess? Have you ever sat down with your budget (not the projected numbers, but the money you actually spend from month to month) and looked at where your money truely goes? It can be scary, but eye-opening.
Like Sarah McLachlan, so many of you are finding creative ways to cut corners. And you still come out "okay" in the end.
I'd love to incorporate more creative money-management ideas into my life so that I can be more strategic in giving to people in need. Please share your ideas with me! Where have you adjusted your budget to help someone else? How has it worked? What difference has it made in your life and the lives of others?
And while you're at it, check out Sara's video. It's not only amazing, but it features some of the alternate ways her money was spent. http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=25 Very inspiring!
It's easy to point fingers at celebrities, thinking things like, "Look at the money they blow, like it's nothing: the gowns, the limos, the parties, the mansions, the jets. Why don't they do something about the AIDS epidemic, or poverty in America. Why is it up to me?" But haven't we ALL been blessed in one way or another? When we judge celebrities, aren't we just magnifying our own blind tendencies to spend in excess? Have you ever sat down with your budget (not the projected numbers, but the money you actually spend from month to month) and looked at where your money truely goes? It can be scary, but eye-opening.
Like Sarah McLachlan, so many of you are finding creative ways to cut corners. And you still come out "okay" in the end.
I'd love to incorporate more creative money-management ideas into my life so that I can be more strategic in giving to people in need. Please share your ideas with me! Where have you adjusted your budget to help someone else? How has it worked? What difference has it made in your life and the lives of others?
And while you're at it, check out Sara's video. It's not only amazing, but it features some of the alternate ways her money was spent. http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=25 Very inspiring!
