I grew up hearing that some folks live “high on the hog”. If you are unfamiliar with this term, it implies that a person is living in affluence and luxury, or that they at least give the appearances of wealth.
The source of this phrase is often said to be the fact that the best cuts of meat on a pig come from the back and upper leg, and that the wealthy ate cuts from 'high on the hog' while the paupers ate belly pork and feet.
I have a friend who refers to people trying to impress others by their appearances and by buying all the luxury brands as “$1,000-Week Millionaires.” In other words, they make a middle-income wage but want others to think they are rich.
Last week, I read an article by a man who studies the financial habits of billionaires. I don’t endorse the article or the ideas he presented to try and become a billionaire. Most of us would be very content to go to work every day, get the bills paid, and have some extra money in the bank to achieve our financial goals. However, one point the author of this article made is that billionaires often live with low-consumption life styles. Case in point: Warren Buffet lives in the first house he ever purchased. He has never upgraded even though he is ranked as one of the richest men in the world.
Listen carefully to Proverbs 13:7 – “One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.” Solomon is advising us here: don’t live high on the hog. Resist the temptation to appear rich and in a humble way, save money that can be used for greater purposes than self-indulgence.
