While flipping through the channels the other day, I caught a pretty disturbing national news report.

More than one third of American workers have less than $1,000 in savings and investments.

That’s according to the 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute, which has been tracking savings data for almost two decades.

This year, the survey found that 36 percent of workers have less than $1,000 in savings. That’s significantly worse than last year’s findings, which showed 28 percent of workers had less than a thousand bucks in the bank.

The problem goes beyond a lack of savings. More than half of the people surveyed—56 percent—haven’t even tried to figure out how much they need to set aside for retirement.

This should tell us that we need to keep talking about the importance of saving for retirement; too many Americans still don’t get it.

But enough with the grim statistics. Let’s talk solutions. If you’re part of the 36 percent, there is hope.

So, What Can You Do?

First, figure out where your money is going.

Track every dollar that comes in and every dollar that goes out. If you’re spending more than you’re earning, do whatever it takes to balance your budget. Aggressively pay off debt, and create an emergency savings account for the inevitable rainy day.

Next, figure out how much money you’ll need for retirement.

You don’t have to be a math whiz to do this. An online search for “free retirement calculator” will instantly pull up scores of websites that will estimate how much money you need to save in total and even break down how much to set aside on a yearly or monthly basis. Ignorance is not bliss. Thanks to the web, there’s no excuse for being part of the 56 percent of Americans with no clue how much they should be saving.

Finally, take action.

Baby steps are better than no steps at all. If your employer offers a retirement plan, read up on it and start participating. Not tomorrow, not next week—today. Don’t be afraid to ask your human resources representative for help if you don’t understand all of the financial language. If your employer offers some kind of matching contribution, take full advantage of it immediately and gradually ratchet up your part of the contributions. If you don’t have an employer-sponsored plan, start looking into an IRA (Individual Retirement Arrangement) or other investment plan and start saving.

However you decide to start, just make sure you do something. It may take a little time, but the peace of mind you’ll experience from taking action will be worth it. Let’s get out of that 36 percent and never look back.

If you’re finding it hard to even begin to save money, or the thought of it stresses you out at all because of your current debts, you may need to reach out to a FaithWorks advisor to discuss the possibility of entering a Christian Debt Relief program. Fill out the blue form to the right of this article to receive your free no-obligation quote today, and begin your journey toward financial freedom.

12 Awesome Money-Saving Apps And Websites

In the last month, I’ve bought movie tickets for half price via Groupon, ordered dirt-cheap electronics accessories on Amazon and found a real bargain for my next vacation thanks to Priceline (if you’ve never experienced the thrill of naming your own price, you’re in for a treat).

While all of those sites are fantastic money-savers, chances are you’re already quite familiar with them.

Below are 10 other money-saving sites and apps that are sometimes overlooked but just as worthy of recognition. Incorporate a few of them into your daily routine, and don’t be surprised if you save hundreds of dollars in just a few months. When you’re done, explore below for other Christian debt management apps and tools offered through our partnership with SuperMoney. 

Cartwheel – This is a discount program just launched by Target last May. I started using the app in the fall, and I’ve now saved $121.62 on items I was going to buy anyway. You create a free account, select the deals you like, and scan your unique coupon barcode once you get to the register. One of my new favorite things is explaining Cartwheel to the people standing in line with me. Many have never heard of it and download the app on the spot.

RedLaser – Have you ever found yourself standing in the store, staring at a product that’s on sale and wondering if it’s really the best price out there? Wonder no more with apps like RedLaser. Once you download the app, you can scan barcodes with your phone or enter the name of a particular product, and RedLaser will let you know if you can get it cheaper online or across the street.

Retailmenot – I never make an online purchase without first taking a quick trip to Retailmenot.com. This site allows you to search for coupon codes and printable coupons for your favorite retailers.

Ebates – This awesome site allows you to get cash back for online purchases. According to Ebates, its members have earned more than $250 million to date. One of my savings-savvy relatives has received $555 since she started using the site a couple of years ago. You can get serious cash back (sometimes 20% or more) when you use Ebates to make purchases from Amazon, Walmart, hotels.com, and tons of other retailers and websites.

Airfarewatchdog – This site has real people monitoring flight prices across the U.S. and beyond. You can sign up for email alerts for specific routes, and Airfarewatchdog will alert you when the fares drop significantly. Last week, the site sent me an alert for one of the routes I was watching. I booked a nonstop round trip flight for $89 including taxes and fees.

LivingSocial – This discount site sells everything from haircuts to bowling passes to vacation packages for 50% off or more. Just select your location, then browse the offers or search for something specific.

Restaurant.com – You can save 50% on eating out by buying a gift certificate through Restaurant.com. To save even more money, sign up for email alerts and keep an eye out for the site’s extreme deals—like $3 for $25 worth of gift certificates. Just remember to read the details of each deal carefully. Many restaurants require you to spend a minimum amount, and they generally can’t be used towards tax or gratuity. Also, check the restaurant’s reviews before you buy.

ThredUP –ThredUP is basically a giant, online consignment store. The way it works is pretty cool—you order a bag, fill it up with used women’s or children’s clothing (in good condition), and drop it in the mail. The postage is already paid. Then the ThredUP team goes through the clothing and pays you up to 40% of its resale value. They have an online calculator to help you figure out what your clothing is worth before you send it in. You can get your money via PayPal or receive shopping credit to buy deeply discounted clothes through the site. Oh, and any items that aren’t accepted are donated to charity or recycled.

MoneySavingMom –This is a great catch-all savings site that covers everything from extreme couponing to giveaways to weekly grocery store specials. The woman behind the site is a mother of three who actually figured out how to live off a $35/week grocery budget in order to keep the family from going into debt when her husband went to law school. She knows what she’s doing.

Airbnb – This is an up-and-coming site that allows you to rent space in more than 30,000 cities around the world. You can rent anything from a tree house in Washington ($40/night) to a castle in France ($170/night). Whether you need a room or an entire house, there’s probably something within your price range. You can also use Airbnb to make some extra money by listing your home or spare bedroom.

Other Christian Debt Management Apps

What better way to manage money, pay off debt, and improve your financial situation than with a handy app or budgeting tool? In partnership with SuperMoney, we’re bringing you money management tools designed to help you payoff credit card debt, create a spending plan, and become a whiz at managing money and finances.

Explore the library of apps in the widget below to discover free and premium financial calculators, apps and tools to support your Christian debt relief journey.

When you are in the debt battle, it is hard to imagine that one day this will be a memory. When David was facing his Goliath, he was totally focused on bringing him down. Debt may be your Goliath today, but eventually your Goliath will lose his head, and then what? There is life after debt.

Scary Freedom

One ironic reaction that many people have to becoming debt free is a new sense of fear. You might think that once you are debt free you will never have another money worry. The opposite is actually true for most people. Once you have safely navigated your way through your Christian Debt Settlement Program, you may find yourself more apprehensive than ever. You now know how damaging financial mistakes can be on your life, your family and your marriage. This new knowledge and wisdom brings with it a sense of fear over messing up again. The last thing you want to do is go backward and make the same mistakes over. However, 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that “God hath not given us a spirit of fear.”

Careful and Confident

You have worked hard to revolutionize your finances and bring glory to God by doing so. This spirit of fear must be traded in for a spirit of confidence. Look at what you have accomplished! Many people never do this. Many people file bankruptcy or just surrender to society’s mandated cycle of debt. You have done something remarkable, and God is pleased with that. You acknowledged the problem, sought out Christian financial help, and worked hard to do right. You have earned the right to feel confident about your choices. You have the tools to continue to make good choices. Look at each financial decision as it comes up and ask yourself, “Is this wise? Is this practical? Is this going to bring glory to God?” Tell yourself every day that you have made good financial decsions and you will continue to make good financial decisions.

Be a Blessing

If you have spent years struggling just to pay your own bills, you may not have had much left over for giving. That can all change now. There are few things as fulfilling as giving to others and being able to do it without worry. The Bible speaks of being a “cheerful giver” and that is so much easier when you are out of debt.

Build the Emergency Fund

If during your Christian Debt Program you did not entirely fund your emergency account, continue working on this goal. Establishing a fully funded emergency account takes some time. Three to six months’ worth of regular expenses is quite a bit of cash by any standard. Keep working toward that goal, because once you have accomplished this there will be almost nothing you can’t handle with a spirit of confidence and wisdom.

Think About Investing

If you have not already begun investing, now is the time to consider this exciting option. When you were living pay check to pay check this was not even a possibility for you. Now, you can take control of your money and make it work for you. Keep to low risk investment options at first while you are still learning.

Reward Yourself

Now may be the time to reward yourself in some way. While you were in the trenches of Christian Debt Management, you may have made some pretty big sacrifices. You may have had to entirely reprogram your way of life. You are a better person for it. You have learned moderation, but moderation does not mean you can never enjoy yourself again. If all of your duckies are in a row, and all of your obligations are met, what little thing might you do for yourself?

Why do we establish emergency funds? Why do we buy insurance policies and pay health care and care insurance premiums every month? We are trying to prepare our self for a crisis. Whether it is a health, home, or vehicle crisis we want to be prepared. How much can this type of insurance prepare us, though? We know our health insurance policies do not pay one hundred percent of our medical bills. We know that that there are some kinds of emergencies that our emergency fund just will not cover. The fact is, there is only so much you can prepare for.

What if it’s Not Enough?

It is never wise to put you confidence in money. Money is a powerful thing which can accomplish a lot for us when used wisely. However, money is not the end all answer to all of life’s problems. Even a family that believes they have covered all of the “insurance” bases is still at the mercy of their income. And although no one likes to think about it, there are some emergencies that are bigger than all of our preparations. This does not mean we should not still wisely prepare. You should be prepared. You should also keep in mind that a life altering crisis does not happen every day or even every year. Some individuals get through many decades without such tragedies. However, placing all of your confidence in your financial preparations will set you up for serious shock should a life altering crisis come your way.

The Christian Bonus

As Christians we are instructed to be good stewards of our money, and that includes preparations like those mentioned above. However, all of these are “secondary” insurance for us. Our “primary” policy covers far more than this life could ever throw our way. We have a heavenly Father, who in His infinite providence is watching over every step we take. He has seen the crisis long before we do, and more than that, He has also seen the solution. What peace there is in knowing that our Father knows the solution to any life crisis we could possibly face, and if we will, “Be still and know that He is God,” like David admonished us in Psalms 46:10 he will reveal these solutions to us. We can confidently take on the darkest of circumstances because we are backed up by God the Father.

Miracles Still Happen

The world of finances deals with hard facts. Numbers don’t lie and there is nothing magical about the bottom line. However, as Christians, we acknowledge the importance of these facts, but we can never lose sight of another fact and that is that we serve a God who works miracles. So when all of the “facts” say, “There is no financial solution to this problem,” God may have a solution that no calculator could have figured.

The Best Insurance

Christians should prepare in times of plenty, just like Joseph put aside corn during the fat years in Egypt. Prepare by investing in insurance and establishing emergency funds. Then should a crisis come that surpasses all you have prepared for, say like the Psalmist in Psalms 121: 1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

We often look back on certain time periods in history, like the Great Depression, and wonder, “How did people manage to get through something like that?” The answer is that they knew how to switch into survival mode. They understood when pride needed to take a back seat to priority and practicality.

No time is this more important for modern people than when they are attempting to work their way out of debt. Seeking Christian financial help and starting a Christian debt relief program is a great starting point toward the goal of a debt free life. However, there are some deep seeded changes that have to take place in the hearts and minds of many people if they ever hope to make “debt free” a way of living.

Changing the way we shop is one of the more difficult areas that people deal with when attempting to revolutionize their finances. For many people shopping is an emotional outlet which serves a few different purposes. One it is a stress relieving distraction for many people. It is their hobby. Secondly shopping, for some people, provides quite the ego massage. Buying a new shiny item, with a chunky price tag makes them feel like a different person for a while, a better person. The problem with all of this is that it is an illusion, it is short lived and it is not financially practical.

If you are attempting to heal your finances through a Christian debt settlement program, then you must seriously evaluate any type of emotional spending.

Shopping is a necessity; we need things, however, it is the way we meet that need that makes all of the difference. When you are in the trenches of your Christian debt management program you will need to look into alternative shopping. Alternative shopping simply means finding new, creative, cheaper ways to get what you need. This includes consignment, clothing swaps, yard sales, Free Cycle programs, Craigslist and yes the old thrift shop.

Sure when buying used you do have to be more careful, but that does not mean thrift shops should be entirely counted out as an alternative shopping venue. There a several myths surrounding thrift shops that prevent people from saving a lot of money on things they really need.

Myth # 1

Thrift shops are dirty. Thrift stores must meet the same standards of cleanliness and safety as all other businesses in your community. Stores such as Goodwill have very strict standards concerning their clothing, furniture and other household items.

Myth # 2

The item I buy won’t work. If you doubt if an item will work or not, ask a salesperson to plug it up so you can operate it. The salespeople are used to this request. Check it out first and see if it works.

Myth # 3

People will make fun of me. This isn’t middle school. You are an adult who needs to spend wisely. If you have people in your life who would mock your desire to get out debt and change your finances your problem lies in the relationship not in the thrift shop.

Myth # 4

They won’t have what I need. This is where thrift shopping can get fun. Each trip is an adventure. You’re on a quest. Sometimes you find what you need. Sometimes you find something better. Sometimes you find something else you needed that you never thought would be there.

If you are already in a Christian debt program then you have the guts to try something new, adding thrift store shopping to the list shouldn’t be too scary.

If you’re serious about paying off debt and building up your savings, it may be time to consider cutting the cable cord.

You’d be part of a growing trend.

In 2007, just 2 million American TV households didn’t pay for some kind of cable, satellite or phone-based television service. Six short years later, that number more than doubled to 5 million households…and growing.

Meanwhile, the cable providers are losing ground as more families give the remote control a rest and choose to watch their favorite shows via less expensive avenues. This may seem surprising, given that the rise of the 200-channel cable provider practically made channel-surfing an Olympic sport, but all of that variety comes with a hefty price tag.

According to FCC data released last summer, the average American paid $61.63 a month for cable TV in 2012. That was 5 percent more than 2011’s average price. In fact, from 1995 to 2012, the cost of cable jumped about 6 percent a year—more than doubling the rate of the Consumer Price Index during the same time period.

By ditching cable for one or more of the less expensive options below, you could save $700 a year or more. Yes, you may miss one or two of those 200 channels (most of which you don’t even watch), but think about it: is your favorite reality show worth 700 bucks?

Take Advantage of Free Online Streaming

A growing number of networks are offering their programs online for free. PBS, for example, offers full episodes of many of its most popular BBC shows on its website 24/7. The commercials are shorter, you can hit the pause button while you grab a snack, and it’s possible to catch up on multiple episodes in one sitting.

Use a Web-Based Service and Save a Bundle

Web streaming services are gaining subscribers because they offer many of the same shows as cable providers for a fraction of the cost. Netflix and Hulu both cost less than $10 a month (plus the cost of internet service). If you already pay for internet, a 12-month subscription to Hulu will cost you $95.88. Compare that with the average monthly cost of cable, which will run up a $739.56 bill over the course of a year. Going web-based adds up to a savings of more than $643.

Buy a (Cheap) Digital Antenna

If you just can’t live without your favorite local news channel, consider buying a digital antenna and watching your basic over-the-air channels for free. These are not your grandmother’s rabbit ears. The latest digital antennae are sleek, flat and inexpensive. The cheapest ones start at about $10 and allow you to watch many channels in HD. A slightly fancier model will set you back about 30 bucks. Several years’ worth of free TV for half the price of just one month of cable? Not too shabby.

The days are getting longer, the weather’s getting warmer and it’ll soon be time for spring cleaning. While you’re tidying up your closets, car or garage, don’t forget to spruce up your budget, too.

Developing a routine is great, but there are certain aspects of every budget that shouldn’t stay stagnant. Here are three moving targets to check on this spring.

Your Retirement Plan

Some retirement plans have an option that will automatically bump up your contributions little by little each year. It’s a fantastic way to make retirement planning a priority without having to think about it. But if you don’t have an automated option, this is a great time to take a look at the state of your retirement funds.

Dave Ramsey recommends investing 15 percent of your income into a Roth IRA or pre-tax retirement account. While he also suggests holding off on retirement funding until you’re debt-free with a sizable emergency savings, some people choose to prioritize their retirement plans, especially if they are retiring soon.

If you can, bump up your retirement contributions by 1-2 percent this spring. When spread out over a year, that’s enough to make an impact on your 401K without hitting your budget too hard.

Insurance Coverage

If you immediately log onto the computer and compare car insurance rates every time you see a gecko on TV, this step is not for you. If, however, you’re like me and blindly fork over that insurance payment every other month without thinking twice, keep reading.

Insurance coverage, like your retirement plan, is a moving target. Rates are constantly changing, so it’s important to periodically check on your plan to make sure you’re getting as many discounts as possible. It’s also wise to talk to an insurance agent or scan the web every now and then to compare prices from different companies. You really could save hundreds of dollars.

Your Household Budget

When it comes to your budget, it’s easy to set it and forget it. If it’s been a while since you made any adjustments to your budget categories, sit down and take a look at them. If you’re married, call a quick meeting with your spouse. This doesn’t have to be painful; it’s meant to help you get the most out of every paycheck.

Perhaps you’ve been budgeting lots of money for gas, but you recently took a job that’s closer to home, or you’ve been telecommuting more. Take some of that gas money and shift it into another budget category, such as savings or groceries. Life is always changing; your budget should change with it.

Hopefully these ideas will get you thinking about other ways to free up some money as you do some “spring cleaning” for your finances. It may not be the most exciting thing you do this year, but, hey, it beats cleaning out the garage, right?

We spend a lot of time talking about ways to make and stick to an honest budget. Here are five ways to wreck that budget—and possibly your entire financial life—in record time.

Ignore It

A budget is worthless if you don’t follow it. To ensure financial misery, hide the budget from everyone in your household, including yourself. Make sure no one is clear on exactly how much money should be spent on various categories like groceries, entertainment and birthday gifts for friends or relatives. If you happen to remember the correct budget for a certain area (such as eating out), treat it as a mere guideline and come up with great excuses for spending more than you budgeted.

A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out (Proverbs 25:28, The Message).

Never Say ‘No’

Your college friends want to hold a reunion weekend in Las Vegas. Your church small group is planning to go out for Sunday brunch at an expensive restaurant. Your daughter is begging you for a new iPad. Say “yes” to everything. Be a people-pleaser at all costs. Dip into your savings to take a vacation, and chip away at your debt payment to buy that expensive wedding gift for the out-of-state wedding that’s going to cost you a bundle. Put vacations, clothes, tech toys and other people’s opinions of you first. Worry about the budget later.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV).

Keep Swiping That Plastic

You don’t get paid until Friday, but it was a long, rough Monday and you deserve a treat. Go ahead and buy it. Even though the money isn’t in your checking account yet and the budget is tight, you’ll figure it out later. A few dollars on the credit card won’t hurt anyone. (For maximum budget-wrecking, repeat this process Tuesday-Friday and fail to immediately pay off the balance).

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty (Proverbs 27:12, NIV).

Live At or Above Your Means

Buy that sleek-but-gas-guzzling SUV that so many of your neighbors are driving. Spend every penny you earn and make only the minimum payments on your debt. Pick the biggest house you can afford—the one with the monthly payment that’s equivalent to 40 percent of your income. You’ll face near-instantaneous foreclosure if you or your spouse loses a job, but that’ll never happen to you. That only happens to other people.

Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’ (Luke 14:28-30, The Message).

Refuse to Ask for Help

Buy into the lie that you are alone in your financial struggles and no one would ever understand what you’re going through. Let pride dictate your decisions. Even though bill collectors are blowing up your phone and you’re trying to decide between the mortgage and the electric bill, you can handle this. Believe that the same thinking that got you into debt will somehow get you out of it.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22, NIV).

If any of the above scenarios sounds all too familiar, now is the time to take action and change your ways. In particular, if the last paragraph hits home, consider requesting a free consultation from FaithWorks Financial to learn about our Christian debt relief programs. There is always hope, and there really are compassionate people who can help point you in the right direction.

“Where is the best place to stash an emergency fund?”


If you are still taking baby steps in your personal money revolution, then this may not be a huge pressing question on your mind. You may be more concerned right now about how you’re going to pay your light bill this month. But that’s okay. You are working toward your goals. You are paying down debt through your Christian debt relief program, and you are slowly but surely building that all important emergency fund that will insure you against the horrific, “borrowing from family” scenario should your hot water heater blow up next month!

However, for those who are a little bit further along on this financial quest, it may be time to consider the best place for this emergency fund that you have worked so hard to establish.

An ideal emergency fund should be three to six months of regular expenses. This is quite a bit of cash, so it would do you well to put it somewhere in which it can gain the most interest for you. This is especially true when you consider that this money is going to stay put, hopefully.

Emergency funds are different than investment funds. You want investment funds to be active and flowing and accomplishing as much for you as possible. Investment funds are money at work. Emergency funds need to stay put, be still, and be safe. You do not put your emergency fund at risk in any way. However, you also do not want it to just sit there for five years and not earn a penny either.

The balance between risky action and stagnant inaction is to place the money in the highest yield type of savings plan possible.

Online Savings

Online only accounts have increased in popularity in the last few years. Many online only banks such as Ally or Capital One 360 can offer higher interest rates on their savings programs because they are not dealing with the overhead of running a brick and mortar establishment.

This translates into only good things for their customers.

Many of these banks offer a full range of savings products including Money Market Accounts. These online money market accounts offer higher interest rates than regular accounts, plus have limitations in place which will discourage you from touching the money except in true emergencies.

The drawback is that all types of savings plans, including online only money market, are seeing really low interest rates right now. This can improve with time, and something is always better than nothing.

Breakable CDs

Breakable CDs offer a higher interest rate right now than most online savings plans. This is because your average 5 year CD will charge you a small fee for early withdrawals. Your money is not quite as accessible as it would be with a money market account, but you will be earning more on money that is just sitting there.

The drawback is that the money is not immediately available like it would be from savings or money market.

I-Bonds

Series I US Savings bonds are a great low risk place to store cash.

If you have already established a great emergency fund putting some of the money in I-Bonds could be a wonderful option. However, putting all of your emergency fund money is not wise as I-Bonds cannot be cashed out until after the first year. However, the interest rates are better than just about any other low risk product available.

Christians, who are starting a financial revolution in their life, face a unique set of circumstances that perhaps non-Christians do not face.

We have certain Biblical standards to live by, and sometimes these Biblical standards or obligations feel like they contradict our financial plan. Tithing is one such principal that a lot of people would look at and say, “Well, hey! If you want to get out debt you need to be putting that tithe money on your debt payments too for now.” But as Christians we know that it is far better to work that into the top slot of our budget rather than try to skimp.

Most of us, even those who are in a Christian debt consolidation program understand the importance of tithing and don’t question it too much. However, there are other forms of giving outside of tithes.There are love offerings, fund raisers, missions and sometimes just personal giving that God leads us to.

How do we handle these types of giving when we feel like we have already stretched ourselves to the limit? Why would God lead us to give more if the budget is already maxed?

The Widow’s Offering

The story in Mark chapter 12 tells of an old widow who wanted to give. She had so little that any offering would be a sacrifice, so she decided to just give it all.

Sometimes God leads us to give more than we imagine possible or even wise, just so we can prove to ourselves that we can let go.

You may think that revolutionizing your finances is all about hanging on to your money. It is about letting go; letting go of bad habits, letting go of stuff and letting go of the hold that money, or the appearance of money, has over you. When you stretch in your giving you are letting go.

Miracles Still Happen

When God says give and you whip out your calculator, sometimes the numbers will not add up.

Just as Elijah asked another widow in the Old Testament to make him a little cake first, even though she had only enough for her and her son. God already knew what kind of miracle he had in store for this woman, and it sure beat her plan of eating her last meal and dying.

You cannot know what God has planned. His ways are above our ways. Giving is often an exercise in faith.

Where is the Line?

It’s never a wise thing to start drawing lines in front of God; however, we do have to draw lines in front of ourselves.

In the area of sacrificial giving, great care must be taken to never stray into the realm of foolishness. There are ways to detect foolishness, however. Usually if there is any hint in our hearts of gaining something for ourselves through the act of giving, then it was not God speaking to your heart. If people are pressuring you rather than God speaking to you, beware also.

Trust in God to lead your heart and your giving, and you can trust that your giving is appropriate.