Sin at the Clearance Rack
I love fashion. I click through photos of the eye-popping pieces walking down fashion week runways. I ogle celebrity styles, like Michelle Obama's silk Thom Brown ensemble and her Jason Wuu gown at the inauguration. I recently read a Wall Street Journal article trumpeting the "return of the five-figure dress," which reported that "clothes really can cost as much as a house."
Then, in a blog post, I discovered a new word for myself: frugalista. See, I love fashion, but looking at high-end fashion with its high-end price tags just makes me feel smug.
The newest addition to my own closet is a trendy cape-fronted gray jacket. I bought it at a thrift store. When I wore it to run errands the other day, I was stopped by a fellow customer. "I have that same jacket!" she gushed, "Did you get it at Nordstrom's?" I discovered she had paid $60 for hers; I paid $9.
I'm a Goodwill stalker and a Craigslist surfer. When I travel, I check out the consignment boutiques. My husband and I even have our own version of a haul video. I hold up my purchases, and he guesses how much I paid for them. They're always from the clearance rack.
Did I mention my $300 wedding gown? My $3 designer shoes? My $1 boutique-label dress?
One day my friend Jessica stopped me and my $8 suede boots in our tracks. "Christian women think it's only people with expensive outfits who are prideful," she said, "but Christians can be just as proud. . . of their bargains."
She's right, of course. This frugalista has a dark side, and the Biblical word is not so nice: it's pride.
I do have some decent reasons for thrifting. For one thing, wearing inexpensive clothing allows me to cheerfully hug my peanut-butter-covered four-year-olds. Bring on the finger paints; I'm good.
Other women hunt bargains out of absolute financial necessity. Some intentionally use their savings to advance Christ's kingdom. (An email in my inbox even had the subject line: "Couponing as a Christian Mission.") And Christians are often reminded in Scripture of the need to wisely steward the earthly resources given to us by God. Clipping coupons can be a sound, Biblical practice, but it's also easy to be pharisaical about saving money, to equate frugality with righteousness.
In his book Issues Facing Christians Today, theologian John Stott identifies three sins associated with money: "materialism (an obsession with things), asceticism (an austerity which denies the good gifts of the Creator), and pharisaism (binding one another with rules.)" I doubt he had frugalistas in mind, but the shoe certainly fits.
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Comments
Steph MacDonald
Ha, and I was just thinking the other day how stupid it is that I shop for good bargains to dress more nicely than I can afford, and when people tell me they like my [insert clothing item here] I fall all over myself to tell them how little I paid for it! I don't want to look like one of those people who spends a lot on clothes, you know--bad stewardship! Fear of man.
Cheryl Okimoto
Megan, I think you did a good job showing how we need to guard our hearts. WHAT we do isn't as important as WHY we do it? What do our reasons reveal about our hearts? Hannah, you bring up a good point too. How many of our bargains are at the expense of someone else? You don't even have to think half a world away. I was told by Christian financial guru that buying a repossessed car was a great way to steward money. I cringed when I heard that because I once had a vehicle repossessed, and ended up getting a bill for it that was almost as much as I still owed. Why? Because someone got a great deal at an auction, and the bank encouraged them to buy low. A "great deal" is often at someone else's expense. Rachel, I don't necessarily hate shopping, but it's not high on my list either. I can't say I still wear clothes from college as that was quite a few years ago, but my definition of fashion includes anything still mendable so that it looks decent!
JANET W
Sometimes I think some Christians are looking a little too hard to find sin. Spend too much, you're sinning. Spend too little, and you're sinning too. Happy about your purchase? -- Sin! Sad about your purchase? -- Sin, again! We are called to be Joyous and Content in all things (including our trials & sorrows). Pride is a sin, but let's step back and make sure what we're calling "pride" actually is pride. If you're judging others and giving yourself a pat on the back for being a better christian because you paid less for your outfit, yeah - maybe it is pride. If you're just pleased with yourself that you got a good deal and feel fortunate that you had an opportunity to save some cash -- just not seeing "pride" in that.
bennett willis
You can be proud of anything. Including humility. Along with tacky comments about postings. Lighten up. Being pleased about how you do life is good. And it sure beats being unpleased with it.
Rachel Stephan Simko
Am I the only girl in the world (Christian or not) who hates shopping? I have worn the same clothes since college -- not b/c I'm frugal, but because I hate spending money and going shopping. Am I alone in this? evenonesparrow.blogspot.com
Karen Smith
Hmm. I always considered that "amount saved" shown on the receipt to be more of a "Here's the amount we claim to charge so we can make you feel good". Kind of like the "Buy a box, get a free toy!" thing - the price of the toy isn't "free", it's concealed in the price of the box. As for finding bargains, I hate trying to do that. I'm a size "huge" - over 6' tall - and I'm not thin (though given my body size it's hard to tell how much I weigh) - so finding bargains is extremely difficult. I'm far more worried about whether something fits comfortably than how much it costs, as long as I look decently professional in it. Fortunately, my field includes "Jeans and Sweaters" in decently professional...
Hannah N.
I appreciate this thoughtful article! You can add a whole additional layer of contemplation if you consider what global sins our clothing purchases may enmesh us in. How do we know our clothes were not made by enslaved workers? There is so much trust involved in that relationship with the retailer. Unless, I guess, you buy secondhand. This is something I struggle with as well.
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