Spending also educates

Austerity is not against enjoying good things. It is against wastefulness that turns a whim into a necessity and forgets those who have less. Every purchase tells a story about what you value. Spending thoughtfully, repairing what is useful, and avoiding unnecessary luxuries are also forms of justice, gratitude, and self-control. Discipline is played out in fairly ordinary things: the body, the schedule, and those small yeses of each day. Often what is important is not spectacular: starting on time, cutting out an excess, finishing something, or fulfilling an obligation even when you no longer feel like it.