I don’t know about you, but left to my own devices and my own will power, I often lack self-control – there are cookies in the house, so I snack on them all day long….I am tired in the morning, so I sleep in and miss my time with God…I am frustrated with my kids, so I raise my voice…I am hungry while out doing errands, so I pull through a drive thru…my kids ask me for new clothes with big pleading eyes, and I find myself in a checkout line behind some girl with pink spiked hair wondering when I got so old (wasn’t it just yesterday that I was that teenager???).
It really should not surprise me that I lack self-control, I think that sometimes we get sucked into thinking that we can just buckle down, exert some will power, and get it done on our own. Yet that is not what the Bible teaches, instead the Bible teaches that THROUGH GOD - through His power, His might, His strength, and His authority we can do all things. God did not create us to do things alone or to try and do things through our own strength. It is only when I stop trying to live by my own will (or my own strength) that God’s will (or God’s strength) can completely take over.
The same is true for our finances – the more I try to control and exert my will, the more I seem to be stressed and anxious over money – how much is coming in, how much is going out, whether or not we should buy this new washing machine or that vehicle. How many times have you bought something and then later felt guilty about it? I sure don’t want to count!
God wants us to trust and rely on Him with our finances – every aspect of our finances. Many times we think of this only in the aspect of trusting God to provide for us, but this also involves trusting God to show you how to use the money He gave you. Trusting God to provide then spending foolishly is not God’s plan.
So what does this mean? You may be wondering how this plays out in MY life - how do I try and put aside my own will and let my finances be God-controlled? Well, the first thing I will admit to is that in no way am I 100% successful, I fail many times, but God grants us a new day every morning (thank goodness!!), but here are couple of tips that work for me:
1. If I am constantly over-spending on my grocery budget, I start to keep all my receipts and go over them with a highlighter and highlight everything that was not a necessity, or in other words – not a wise purchase - then I total the amount to see how much I could have saved on that particular shopping trip. Sometimes just this act is enough, but other times God has lead me to gather up all those items and take them back to the store (you only have to do that once or twice before you invite God into your next shopping trip to avoid embarrassment of returning chips or cookies the next day).
2. When it comes to big purchases, I will not purchase until I feel peace with the purchase and until my husband and I can come into agreement (okay I know that sounds, I don’t know, maybe a bit righteous - not true - sometimes I totally fail and let my own greed or ego lead the way). This often means doing without something that we really think that we need, but I try and remember that a purchase without God’s approval is just setting my family up for hardship. I have to admit that this is hard – and even well meaning Christian friends can make this difficult and do not understand some of my decisions – I don’t blame them, I sure didn’t understand why God has not given me the go ahead to buy a new van the last time it broke down and it took my husband two days to fix it!
3. On payday I set aside time to deal with budgeting. This means, figuring out what needs to be paid and meeting our financial commitments BEFORE spending on things like food, gas, entertainment, etc. If we only have $50 left after meeting our financial commitments, then God and I need to spend some time figuring out and re-looking at our budget. The same is true if we have $5000 left, God and I need to spend some time figuring out where to put that money and not just dwindle it away on unnecessary purchases.
For more tips on how I deal with my finances see:
Managing our Money - Part I
Managing our Money - Part II - Spending Habits
For more money saving tips see Frugal Fridays edition from Life as Mom
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finances. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
50 Money Saving Tips!!
1. Be happy with what you have.
2. Use old grocery bags to line trash cans.
3. Buy energy efficient light bulbs.
4. When replacing your appliances, make sure they are energy efficient and look into any tax credits you may be eligable for "going green". Lots of states/provinces have income-tax credits or deductions for taking energy-conservation measures.
5. Plug all of your "power hungry" items on a power strip with a timer. Program them to get turned off completely every night. Over the course of a month, it works out to the same time as if they were off for an entire week.
6. Instead of a whitening mouthwash, use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water (rinse then brush your teeth for the best effect) - it may not taste as good but hydrogen peroxide is a natural whitener and anti-bacterial!
7. Lower the water level in you toilet. You can fiddle around with the float in the back of the toilet so it lower the water level a bit or you can put large mason jars in the tank of your toilet to limit the amount of water being drained (but keep the lid off the jars there will always be fresh water flowing into them). This will save you tons of water for everytime you flush the toilet.
8. Your dryer is one of the biggest energy drains in you home - the less you use it the better!
9. Buy a water saver for your shower - you probably will not even notice the difference and will save you TONS if you have teenagers showering!!
10. Wrap your hot water heater and insulate your hot water pipes. You loss a lot of heat as it comes from the heater to the faucet - insulation is cheap and you will get hot water faster and cheaper.
11. Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater. Often we have the water hoter then we actually need. Fiddle around with it, turn it down 10 degrees at a time and see what the perfect temperature is for you.
11. Turn your heat down - put on a sweater or toss an extra blanket on the bed.
12. Install heat reflectors on the back of your heat vents, causing the heat to move towards the middle of the room instead of up your walls.
13. Don't go shopping to often - limit the amount of times you hit the Wal-Mart.
14. Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
15. Don't bring your children grocery shopping with you - the frequent requests, bickering, crying or running through the aisles will distract you and may cause your resolve to weaken and therefore give in to an impulse purchase. Whenever possible, shop solo.
16. Don't bring your spouse grocery shopping with you - the frequent requests, questioning items or selecting their own unneeded items will end up costing you more. Leave your spouse home with the kids!!
17. Buy in bulk - but only if you are going to use all of it.
18. Buy perishables in season - they will taste the best and be the cheapest.
19. Shop at warehouses instead of grocery stores.
20. Buy store brand items or generic brands instead of name brands - sometimes they are even better!
21. Cook your own food instead of buying prepared food.
22. Have a meal plan and a grocery list before you shop.
23. Decide how much money you are going to use on eating out each month. Take it out in cash - once the money is gone thats it.
24. Shop for major purchases late in the month - many times retailers are anxious to meet their monthly sales quotas and will be ready to make a bargin.
25. Buy floor models when buying furnature or appliances.
26. Freeze candles before using them - they will last longer.
27. Don't play the lottery.
28. Don't carry around excess cash and use your ATM sparingly. It is harder to track where your money is going if you use cash instead of debit.
29. Find a bank with no monthly fee.
30. Have a budget and record ALL your purchases - know where your money is going!!
31. Bundly your phone/internet/cable services, here in Alberta it will save you quite a bit.
32. Don't put anything on your credit card that you can't pay off in full at the end of each month.
33. If you do have credit card debt (or even if you don't, but often use your credit card), fight for a lower interest rate. Keep asking to speak to a supervisor till you speak to someone who has the power to make the change. If you keep getting a "no" then find out what steps you need to make to work towards geting a lower interest rate (sometimes you need to be making certain monthly payments on time in order for them to implement the change).
34. Always pack your lunch for work (or your hubbies lunch) - this will help you have cheaper and healthier food choices.
35. Never skip breakfast - eat before you leave the house to avoid having to grap something while you are out.
36. For date night, make a game out of taking turns planning romantic and frugal nights out. See who can plan the most romantic night out with the least amount of money spent. Get creative!! The reward should be creative too :)
37. Put your cleaners in spray bottles - you will use less.
38. Look at your budget every six months to re-evaluate your spending and bills. Phone competitive billing companies and see if they can give you a better deal for your business.
39. Take up hobbies and sports that are low cost or free - that goes for the hubbie and kids too!
40. Have a budget for holidays/special occations/birthdays. Save ahead of time for the extra expense and stay on budget.
41. Put yourself on an allowance - decide what you want to spend and stick to it.
42. Limit all eating out - not only is it typically unhealthy for you, but it is a drain on your wallet - save eating out for one special night each month. The kids will look forward to their McD night!
43. Whenever possible car pool, walk, or ride a bike.
44. Use old newspapers to wash windows.
45. Use less dishwasher detergent - mine works fine with about 2/3 of the recomended amount.
46. Make your own rags out of old towels.
47. Have your kids save up for part of the "big ticket" items they want.
48. Put on lights that kids often leave on on sensors, so they will turn off automatically when no one is in the room.
49. Make shorts out of pants that still fit around the middle, but have gotten too short on your child.
50. Okay, here is my favorite money saving tip that I ever got - "never take finanical responsibility for anything that eats - children, spouses, pets and plants".
So there you go, my best money saving tips - these work for me!
Happy Saving,
Christine
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Managing our Money – Part II – Spending Habits
Financial security is more dependent on how you spend then on what you earn. Stop and think about that. Do you believe it? For years I always thought “if we can just make $$___ more, everything will be fine”. Yet, when we made more, somehow the dollars did not stretch as I had planned. So, focusing on what we spend our money on and how we make decisions on what to spend our money on seems to the first step to achieving financial security. Here are some really easy tips to help you spend less.
1. Have a meal plan – whatever that may look like for you.
2. Have one shopping day a week.
Pick a day that you are going to have the time to devote to the task and not feel rushed, and always remember to eat before you leave (to avoid hunger shopping). Always have a list of all needed items for your meal plan and to re-stock your kitchen and pantry to avoid having to go back mid-week. If you truly can not go all week without replenishing perishables (those of us with a large families), have one other day put aside for buying more milk, fruits and so on, but remember, this is only a replenishing your fridge day, no more. Keep your eyes on the milk!
3. Have a plan to avoid impulse buying!
Our goal is that our finances will be God lead and God controlled, if we are rushing off and doing our own thing and making quick decisions, we are often not allowing the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives. I don’t know about you, but a lot of things can sound good to me when two of my kids are trying to convince me that some item is necessary, while the other two are bickering in the background, my cell phone is ringing, the person in line in back of me has a crying baby and all I can think of is getting out of that store as quickly as possible.
Some people have more problems then others with impulse buying, and often within a marriage there is a division, with one person being more the spender and one person more conservative with spending. No matter where your marriage falls, having an agreed upon plan of action can help avoid serious conflicts and problems in the future.
You need to have a plan for both small and large purchase items, even though it is more obvious if we spend foolishly on a large purchase, often it is small purchases that add up that get us into trouble. For all items, big or small, I go through this list:
1. Do I need this item?
2. Can I afford this item?
3. Is purchasing this item going to save me money (now or in the future)?
4. Is this item going to contribute to the health and happiness of my home?
5. In buying this item am I being a good steward with my money?
If you can answer YES to all 5 questions – go ahead and purchase the item.
If you can only answer YES to 4 of the questions, say a quick prayer that God will lead your decision and wait at least 10 minutes before making your final decision. If you feel convicted to put the item back, then DO IT. If you feel good about the purchase, then go ahead and buy it.
If you can only answer YES to 3 of the questions – PUT THE ITEM DOWN AND WALK AWAY. Do not try and talk yourself into the purchase, why you need it, or so forth. Walk away and ask God to either change your heart or show you the right time to purchase the item.
I believe that going though these questions diligently before buying items – both big and small – will help you avoid over spending and more importantly, your finances will start to be God lead, not self lead.
When making decisions about bigger items you should have a pre-agreed upon plan and time limit (from when you first recognize that you need the item, to the date in which you will meet again and talk about the purchase). When I say bigger items, I am not talking about your ever growing food bill or your always empty gas tank, I am talking more about consumer purchases. Examples of consumer purchases can be smaller like buying new bikes or a computer, to larger purchases like buying new furniture or appliances, re-modeling your home, or purchasing a new vehicle. How many times have we walked into a store and seen some item on sale (that we may even need) and bought it impulsively that pulled us into debt or caused us financial hardship.
Sometimes it is hard to be convicted of bad spending when life is noisy and busy. Sometimes I can feel God convicting me while I stand in the store contemplating a buy, but often my own desires can shout louder and it is not until a quieter time that God convicts me that I really don’t need it or that now is not the time to buy. Because of this, I always wait at least one full day before buying larger purchases so I can invite God to have a say in my purchase. Recognizing that every dollar is a gift from God is important (and the most talked about) – but recognizing that God has an opinion on EVERY purchase we make is equally important. It isn’t just about money, bills or budgeting, it is about allowing our spending to be God lead and God controlled.
Also see:
Managing our Money – Part 1
Blessings, Christine
1. Have a meal plan – whatever that may look like for you.
2. Have one shopping day a week.
Pick a day that you are going to have the time to devote to the task and not feel rushed, and always remember to eat before you leave (to avoid hunger shopping). Always have a list of all needed items for your meal plan and to re-stock your kitchen and pantry to avoid having to go back mid-week. If you truly can not go all week without replenishing perishables (those of us with a large families), have one other day put aside for buying more milk, fruits and so on, but remember, this is only a replenishing your fridge day, no more. Keep your eyes on the milk!
3. Have a plan to avoid impulse buying!
Our goal is that our finances will be God lead and God controlled, if we are rushing off and doing our own thing and making quick decisions, we are often not allowing the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives. I don’t know about you, but a lot of things can sound good to me when two of my kids are trying to convince me that some item is necessary, while the other two are bickering in the background, my cell phone is ringing, the person in line in back of me has a crying baby and all I can think of is getting out of that store as quickly as possible.
Some people have more problems then others with impulse buying, and often within a marriage there is a division, with one person being more the spender and one person more conservative with spending. No matter where your marriage falls, having an agreed upon plan of action can help avoid serious conflicts and problems in the future.
You need to have a plan for both small and large purchase items, even though it is more obvious if we spend foolishly on a large purchase, often it is small purchases that add up that get us into trouble. For all items, big or small, I go through this list:
1. Do I need this item?
2. Can I afford this item?
3. Is purchasing this item going to save me money (now or in the future)?
4. Is this item going to contribute to the health and happiness of my home?
5. In buying this item am I being a good steward with my money?
If you can answer YES to all 5 questions – go ahead and purchase the item.
If you can only answer YES to 4 of the questions, say a quick prayer that God will lead your decision and wait at least 10 minutes before making your final decision. If you feel convicted to put the item back, then DO IT. If you feel good about the purchase, then go ahead and buy it.
If you can only answer YES to 3 of the questions – PUT THE ITEM DOWN AND WALK AWAY. Do not try and talk yourself into the purchase, why you need it, or so forth. Walk away and ask God to either change your heart or show you the right time to purchase the item.
I believe that going though these questions diligently before buying items – both big and small – will help you avoid over spending and more importantly, your finances will start to be God lead, not self lead.
When making decisions about bigger items you should have a pre-agreed upon plan and time limit (from when you first recognize that you need the item, to the date in which you will meet again and talk about the purchase). When I say bigger items, I am not talking about your ever growing food bill or your always empty gas tank, I am talking more about consumer purchases. Examples of consumer purchases can be smaller like buying new bikes or a computer, to larger purchases like buying new furniture or appliances, re-modeling your home, or purchasing a new vehicle. How many times have we walked into a store and seen some item on sale (that we may even need) and bought it impulsively that pulled us into debt or caused us financial hardship.
Sometimes it is hard to be convicted of bad spending when life is noisy and busy. Sometimes I can feel God convicting me while I stand in the store contemplating a buy, but often my own desires can shout louder and it is not until a quieter time that God convicts me that I really don’t need it or that now is not the time to buy. Because of this, I always wait at least one full day before buying larger purchases so I can invite God to have a say in my purchase. Recognizing that every dollar is a gift from God is important (and the most talked about) – but recognizing that God has an opinion on EVERY purchase we make is equally important. It isn’t just about money, bills or budgeting, it is about allowing our spending to be God lead and God controlled.
Also see:
Managing our Money – Part 1
Blessings, Christine
Friday, April 10, 2009
Managing our Money - Part 1
We all know that it is not Gods plan for us to be living under the strain of debt, but what we often forget is that neither is it in Gods plan for us to have everything we want – and yes, even everything we think we need. “But I need it” is not justification for a purchase, no matter how big or how small. God tells us that we need to look to Him to fulfill our needs, and sometime that means waiting even when it doesn’t make sense or is not comfortable to do so.
It is like anything else, Satan leads us into temptations often in small ways so we don’t see right away what he is up to. Satan speaks what is partly true, but is never truth. We can convince ourselves that we “need” a lot of things that if we first asked God if we needed them, He would say no to. For example, at this time I need a new van. My van is falling apart, piece by piece, things are going on it and I question it reliability. Plus, I will be honest, it is not very “pretty”, it is kind of old and the paint isn’t very nice anymore, there are a couple of stains I can’t get out of it (alright, they were made by my coffee, but that is not the point!!), basically, it is not fancy or new or even have a CD player (gasp!). I have my eye on a very pretty van, it is fancy, all the bells and whistles, when the sun shines down on it and it sparkles I can almost hear the Hallelujah chorus. But alas, whenever I pray or even take small steps forward, God keeps telling me I don’t really need a new van. He reminds me that my van gets me from point A to point B, that it is paid for free and clear, and saves us from living under the pressure of a large loan, and that when it is clean and well taken care it is pretty enough (only a few tears escaped on that one).
In our culture, finances are one of the leading causes of divorce and marriage breakdown. It is time that we open our eyes and to admit that temptations to not be good stewards with the money that God has blessed us with is a sin, plain and simple. When we are serving ourselves, it is impossible to serve God. In other words, when we buy what we think we need, without consulting God, we are giving Satan a foothold into our marriage and family.
Christine
It is like anything else, Satan leads us into temptations often in small ways so we don’t see right away what he is up to. Satan speaks what is partly true, but is never truth. We can convince ourselves that we “need” a lot of things that if we first asked God if we needed them, He would say no to. For example, at this time I need a new van. My van is falling apart, piece by piece, things are going on it and I question it reliability. Plus, I will be honest, it is not very “pretty”, it is kind of old and the paint isn’t very nice anymore, there are a couple of stains I can’t get out of it (alright, they were made by my coffee, but that is not the point!!), basically, it is not fancy or new or even have a CD player (gasp!). I have my eye on a very pretty van, it is fancy, all the bells and whistles, when the sun shines down on it and it sparkles I can almost hear the Hallelujah chorus. But alas, whenever I pray or even take small steps forward, God keeps telling me I don’t really need a new van. He reminds me that my van gets me from point A to point B, that it is paid for free and clear, and saves us from living under the pressure of a large loan, and that when it is clean and well taken care it is pretty enough (only a few tears escaped on that one).
In our culture, finances are one of the leading causes of divorce and marriage breakdown. It is time that we open our eyes and to admit that temptations to not be good stewards with the money that God has blessed us with is a sin, plain and simple. When we are serving ourselves, it is impossible to serve God. In other words, when we buy what we think we need, without consulting God, we are giving Satan a foothold into our marriage and family.
Christine
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