On Wealth and Unnecessary Things

I've been thinking lately about how some things are unnecessary.

For a family of a father, mother, and two little girls, do you really need a house with 4 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, a computer room/den, a playroom, another parlor-type room, living room, dining area, kitchen, laundry room, and a 2-car garage? I babysat for a family once with a house like this. It seemed like a lot of house for not a lot of people.

My grandfather wants to build a garage at our house in order to store a lawnmower and one or two of our family cars. Do we need a standard-size garage to store a riding mower? The way I see it, we can build another small shed big enough for the mower and other tools. Our driveway/yard is going to be a mess while this garage is built. We have managed my entire life -- with the exception of a year or so, when we only used the garage for storage -- without a "home" for our vehicles. In our family of 3, we have 3 cars. THAT is ridiculous, but we live in the country with NO public transportation unless you are in a K-12 school or are a senior citizen.

Midnight Madness, our pep rally for the basketball teams, was held last night. One of the things that bugged me, and I said to someone, "Is that really necessary? What is the point?", was that the basketball guys were slapping each other on the butt. Why? That's so obnoxious and stupid. I don't want to see that.

When I pack up to move home after graduation, I want to see if I can fit all my possessions into my car. Should I count furniture (shelving) in that aspect as well? The only thing is that I still have a lot of things stored at my mom's house: toys from when I was a kid, books I haven't read, books I'd like to keep, and a few clothes. In thinking about Christmas, I'm trying to whittle down my list to things that I think I "need", but at the same time, some of those are unnecessary in the long run. I know that I can live out of a suitcase and backpack for 2 months, but I am a packrat and will need to do some cleaning and sorting over Christmas break, since I'll be consolidating 2 rooms into one in May.

I've been doing a lot of self-evaluation lately, and seeing areas in which I totally need God's help to improve and become more like Christ. In thinking about an experience I had this week, I struggle with pride and stereotypes about people that are not in my social circles, for one example.

What is unnecessary in my own life, but that I still do anyway? Spending time on Facebook every day -- I know that I will survive if I am only on it once a week, but yet, I am online nearly anytime I am in my room. Buying things that I don't really need, but could use the money for more important things. Taking the day off when I could very well work.

Hmmm....