Money can so easily stress us out. We worry about not having enough to pay the bills. We argue with loved ones about what to spend money on. We spend countless hours obsessing about material objects that we would like to one day buy. We get anxious about missing a good deal or spending too much on something. We work hard to earn more money. I am sure none of this is news to you.
This Shabbat the experiment is to make some choices to help you reduce your need to spend money. In my family we have tried for a long time to avoid excessive dealings with money on Shabbat. In practice this has meant that we don’t normally pay bills or go shopping. On the other hand we have decided to not worry too much about spending money if it helps to facilitate a nice family activity like going to the zoo or a museum. For us the main goal is to step out of the consumption cycle.
I have often been able to just leave my wallet at home on Shabbat. I often drive on Shabbat but will simply take along my driver’s license and one emergency credit card. I still feel much lighter without the cash and extra credit cards.
This week consider how are you going to avoid spending and commerce on Shabbat? How might you reduce the likelihood of needing to pay for things? How might this impact how you spend your time? Consider how this influences the quality of your Shabbat?
