This is the last section of my Tightening the Belt workshop, circa 1985. Two truths stood out to me as I revisited my material from forty years ago:

First — these principles are every bit as relevant today as they were then.

Second — I can say without reservation that these principles work. My husband and I have put them to the test. We have lived this way all our married life,

There will always be those who have more than us. There will always be those who have less than us. The secret to a satisfying life is in learning to be content. Contentment embodies a sense of serenity, sufficiency, and acceptance of our present state. Contentment expands our perspective and our creative thinking. In a way, we could say that contentment is self-perpetuating.

People might choose to live in discontentment because they are far too aware of how much they don’t have. They feel resentful or envious. This unpleasant view of life is generally caused by comparing their lifestyle to what they see in advertising, media, the workplace, and even their peer groups.

Ask yourself the question, "Am I rich?" It has been said that in this generation in North America we have more affluent everyday lives than most of the wealthiest aristocrats did a few centuries ago. Test that statement. What conveniences do you have today that weren't even imagined a few hundred years ago? Think wide. Fresh fruit out of season. Education for everyone. A library with thousands and thousands of books you can read for free. Fast ways to get from one place to another. Almost instant communication with the people you care about, no matter where they are.

Maybe we could live in contentment by appreciating the abundance we do have. Instead of feeling dissatisfied about our current financial situation which is forcing us to tighten the belt, we could count our blessings. Clean water? Indoor plumbing? Refrigeration? Central heating? A comfortable bed to sleep in? Warm blankets? It seems to me that we should all be reaching for our gratitude journals.

Even if you are convinced that you can tighten the belt to good effect, it still can be a challenge to get the rest of the household on board. When tight financial times hit suddenly such as job loss, sickness or unexpected major expenses, or gradually through rising costs of living, our gut reaction is to shield our children.

If  you are a family facing a financial downturn, coming together as a team can make all the difference. Children love to rise to a challenge, especially when you turn it into a secret mission, an adventure, a “survival” game.

In a lifetime, everyone faces difficulties. Sometimes these problems feel insurmountable. Showing our children the insight, creativity and skills to get through these times is far better than sheltering them from the reality we are dealing with. The end result is resilience and hope, invaluable for their own satisfaction in life.

Think about it. If we were in the wilderness living off the land, the increasing costs of good and services wouldn’t have much impact on our lifestyle. I’m not suggesting you go off grid. But I am suggesting adopting a pioneer spirit about cutting back to essentials. Remember, giving children everything they want does not guarantee them happiness. We all appreciate what we receive much more when we don’t have every whim supplied.

So … how about a quest? Instead of moaning over not being able to afford this or that, what if you form a league and have a grand adventure instead? Turn the hard times of tightening the belt into an enlightening game of life. Family Mission! Resistance Movement! Join The Underground! Accept the dare!

The challenge is to avoid, elude and resist the enemy. The enemy, of course, is the consumer machine. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is "how much can we not spend?"

Choose the level of intensity that will appeal to the ages and personalities in your family. However you frame it, getting the kids involved in actively pursuing solutions is going to be highly positive, and could be positively fun!

Let's have an adventure – we'll escape from consumerism and live like conservers! 

Benchmarks and Archetypes

When our children were quite young, we were church planters, living with no paycheck and trusting God to supply our needs. Our family bedtime routine included a few chapters from the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. These simply-written books inspired me as well as the children. We were one in spirit with the pioneers, yet knew we were fortunate because we had so much less lack than they did. I particularly loved the chapter in Little House on the Prairie where "Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus." I still read it every Christmas as a reminder of the unexpected benefit of doing without – heightened appreciation for what you do receive. Another lovely book is the original The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Their resourcefulness and teamwork are motivating, even for the adult reading the story.

Older children will enjoy Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Both are stories of being shipwrecked and having to build a life from the ground up, literally. Biographies of missionaries or résistance workers serve to highlight vital service over material goods. If you have other titles to suggest, please feel free to share them as a comment at the end of this post, since I'm not up on modern children's survival fiction.

The Quest League in Action

Whenever you come up against a lack, or even a major want, gather your League and analyze it together. Use Questioning Needs as a template. Search for alternatives that give the same satisfaction without the consumer cost.

Start as a warmup with one of the challenges below, or jump right into your own real life dilemma. Create a giant mind map or a detective board to build out the League's potential solutions. Add all ideas and possibilities, then begin to discuss and narrow it down to a workable plan.

All of humankind has a deep sense of disquiet until we choose to reconnect with God our Creator. Without that connection, the empty space in our hearts simply cannot be filled. I'm forever grateful that Jesus made the way for us by dying on the cross and rising again to eternal life.

With this great truth in mind, the apostle Paul, wrote in his letter to the Philippians:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do all this through him (Jesus) who gives me strength.

Tightening the Belt, as a workshop and as a lifestyle, is very dear to me so of course you'll see many more posts on this theme in the days to come. They just won't be forty years old!

All the very best to you, my friends, on your journey of life!