Last week we looked at furniture for today generally in terms of its value to us and our children. Today, we examine our furniture in terms of its cost. How much money, time and resources does it take to procure it? I read a sermon once that said the proper life is to make all you can (morally), save all you can and live all you can. In a world where children are dying in wars and with cancer, we cannot waste our money on things of any sort. We have to weigh the cost in the competing values. On the one side, we hear people complain that customers know the cost of everything and value of nothing. Value gets measured aesthetically, in terms of our families, how a piece engages us intellectually, etc. Does this thing expand our lives in meaningful ways? On the other hand, we hear people complain that so-and-so has a champagne taste and a beer pocket. In general, this refers to people who adopt the values of others and never get to themselves. They are keeping up with the Jones’. Therefore, ‘how much’ is a meaningful question. It can make us confront our true values and measure our lives a little more accurately.