Things I hear a lot:
- you have the power to make yourself happy, you just have to choose to do so.
- don't let what other people say or do affect your happiness.
- trust in God when you are down. He will lift you up.
Depression is real, and no matter how much I trust in God, it is not going to go away.
The days grow shorter - the sun comes up later and goes down earlier. It always seems dark. It's cold.
The Jones' are buying up everything they can, while the every day person isn't sure if there is enough money to fill the gas tank this week.
Parents work and work to make sure they have enough money to give their children a special holiday, or to be a part of some recreational sport.
Taxes are due, gas and electric bills go up, trips and extra grocery costs are forgotten in the annual budget.
These are realities - no band-aid can cover.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Money Challenge
I've been praying a lot about money lately. Not that I am coveting money, or that I am idolizing money. I'm not praying TO money, I'm praying about money. I'm praying about how to manage and deal with my money.
For the past 15 years, we have basically been flying by the seat of our pants when it comes to money. It's not that we don't know HOW to manage money, it's that our priorities have been a bit skewed, and we have simply been living without a budget. OK, we still don't have a budget, but I'm working on baby steps here.
A few years ago, I challenged myself to pray about money and giving. I chose to give monthly to my church. I give from the money I make, not the family income, and at first, I didn't give a full 10%. Now I'm just about there. It feels good being able to give that commitment every month.
This year, I want to do more with my money. I've been praying about saving - getting into a habit of giving to the savings at the beginning of each month (or really, in my case, as soon as I get paid, so it's 2x a month) just like I do with my tithe. Not only giving to my own savings, but my children's as well. It's not much, it doesn't have to be much. Baby steps, right?
So, I have a bit of a goal in mind. First - saving for summer. Every summer I work less - which means I have less to do with, and we typically have to prepare for this ahead of time, or it gets us in the butt. But I don't want my savings to be completely depleted every summer. So... I have another goal. Saving for 2 trips - one in 2015 that we just planned and one in 2017 that has been a bit of a pipe dream, and will continue to be so if we don't save.
I thought to myself, how am I going to do that. That is a LOT of money! Yes, but do you know how much going out to fast food costs?? I"m sure that on average, I have spent $20-$30 going out to fast food every week. That's an average - some weeks less, some... more. Wow, can you imagine if I didn't do this how much I would be able to "save"? Now, lets face it, absolutely no fast food is not a reality for my lifestyle. I am often on the run a lot with my children, and are simply unable to do things like bring food with me ALL the time for dinner. but, we can cut back.
What about the other stuff I buy that I don't need. It's time to set those priorities. So, I've been praying about money. I've been praying about my priorities on spending. And I challenge you to do the same.
For the past 15 years, we have basically been flying by the seat of our pants when it comes to money. It's not that we don't know HOW to manage money, it's that our priorities have been a bit skewed, and we have simply been living without a budget. OK, we still don't have a budget, but I'm working on baby steps here.
A few years ago, I challenged myself to pray about money and giving. I chose to give monthly to my church. I give from the money I make, not the family income, and at first, I didn't give a full 10%. Now I'm just about there. It feels good being able to give that commitment every month.
This year, I want to do more with my money. I've been praying about saving - getting into a habit of giving to the savings at the beginning of each month (or really, in my case, as soon as I get paid, so it's 2x a month) just like I do with my tithe. Not only giving to my own savings, but my children's as well. It's not much, it doesn't have to be much. Baby steps, right?
So, I have a bit of a goal in mind. First - saving for summer. Every summer I work less - which means I have less to do with, and we typically have to prepare for this ahead of time, or it gets us in the butt. But I don't want my savings to be completely depleted every summer. So... I have another goal. Saving for 2 trips - one in 2015 that we just planned and one in 2017 that has been a bit of a pipe dream, and will continue to be so if we don't save.
I thought to myself, how am I going to do that. That is a LOT of money! Yes, but do you know how much going out to fast food costs?? I"m sure that on average, I have spent $20-$30 going out to fast food every week. That's an average - some weeks less, some... more. Wow, can you imagine if I didn't do this how much I would be able to "save"? Now, lets face it, absolutely no fast food is not a reality for my lifestyle. I am often on the run a lot with my children, and are simply unable to do things like bring food with me ALL the time for dinner. but, we can cut back.
What about the other stuff I buy that I don't need. It's time to set those priorities. So, I've been praying about money. I've been praying about my priorities on spending. And I challenge you to do the same.
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