Continue reading

Continue reading

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.

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.

Continue reading

Continue reading

As Christians, we fully understand the “reason for the season.” It is our time of the year to consider God’s great sacrifice through his son Jesus Christ, our opportunity to reflect upon the sheer magnitude of God’s grace toward us.

Unfortunately, consumerism has taken over our society. It is estimated that the average person sees thousands of advertisements a day. Whether it’s on a billboard, the side of a bus, in a store or on television, we are surrounded by the message that in order to feel good we should spend. This is especially true now that the Christmas season is well underway. We tell ourselves that we must buy things for the people we care about, even if it means putting it on a credit card.

One great thing about attempting to manage finances according to Christian principals is that we understand the importance of the holiday. We know that spending money is not what Christmas is all about. It is important for anyone trying to get out from under debt to celebrate Christmas on a budget.

Fortunately, plenty of people are managing to have a joyous Christmas on a budget and have come up with easy ideas for making it possible to enjoy Christmas without breaking the bank.

Here are a few tips to help you stay on track this Christmas! 

1. Avoid credit cards from Thanksgiving day through January 1.
2. Budget in the cost of groceries for your Christmas meal. If you will have people over, it’s okay to ask them to bring a dish to share. In fact, most people are glad to know they’ll get to enjoy their favorite holiday dish.
3. Divide the cash you have by the number of people you have to buy for and make a list that includes the person’s name and how much you’re going to spend on them.
4. The mailman, hairdresser and next door neighbor will be perfectly satisfied with a thoughtfully chosen card.
5. Don’t buy more edible items than you need. Peanut brittle, little chocolate Santas, egg nog and the other holiday favorites can really add up quick. One great pie with Christmas dinner will easily take the place of those costly little snacks.
6. If you have children, think about what they actually need. If they will be needing a new pair of shoes in the next few months, now would be a great time to make the purchase so that it can be appreciated as a Christmas gift.

Stick to your Christmas budget and come January you’ll be very grateful that your New Year’s resolution does not involve paying off 2013’s Christmas debt!

For most families, food and grocery expenses are the second biggest line item in their budgets after rent or mortgage payments. While the budget bite from grocery shopping can be depressing at times, the good news is that there is a lot of room for creativity and savings for disciplined shoppers. One of the greatest advances in budget-conscious shopping is finding its way into America’s kitchens with great results: shopping for groceries online can rescue an out-of-control food budget.

It is well known that the internet provides opportunities to comparison shop for necessities like clothes and insurance; using the internet to find grocery bargains is a logical next step. Most grocery store chains offer online shopping options with free in-store pickup; a few even offer home delivery for a small fee. Wal-Mart and Amazon.com offer free home delivery and allow you to combine grocery purchases with other items from the store. The end result is a great addition to any debt relief program- saving money by buying groceries online.

Shopping online for food makes sense for many reasons, especially for families trying to stick with Christian debt management principles. When you buy groceries online, you eliminate pricey impulse purchases. You buy only items from your list. This saves money and helps you stick to healthy choices. Eating healthy on a budget is easier using online shopping tools. Many grocery stores offer meal planning and recipe tools right on the site: You choose your menu for the week and the corresponding grocery items are automatically loaded into your shopping cart.

Most grocery websites list their weekly specials so you can buy from the store with the best prices for the groceries you need that week. Some even feature economical recipes using sale items to help you maximize grocery savings.

Shopping online allows you to compare grocery prices on the things you buy regularly so you can always get the best available price without driving to several stores. Big retailers like Wal-Mart and Amazon give you access to economical brands and product sizes that might not be available to you at your local stores.

Ordering groceries online takes the guesswork and surprise out of your food bill. You can see what your choices are costing before you purchase them, giving you an opportunity to make changes to keep costs in line with your budget.

To start harnessing the Internet for grocery savings, begin with your local grocery chains’ websites to see what’s available. Browse the grocery offerings at Walmart.com and Amazon.com to compare prices. Other sites like ShopFoodex and NetGrocer have frequent specials offering favorite foods at steep discounts and usually offer a credit toward your first order. It may take a few weeks to get used to buying groceries this way, but you will find, with practice, that online grocery shopping can be your budget’s best friend.

With the hectic daily grind that has become a part of so many peoples daily routines, it is no surprise that eating out is one of the top budget breakers. When you are running around town and have your kids in the car howling about how hungry they are, a quick pizza run may cause the kids to cheer, but your budget will not.

Last minute dining out decisions can wreak havoc on a carefully planned budget or Christian debt management plan. For families attempting to eliminate debt, this is an added expense that can kill your dream of being debt free. Eating out is such a sneaky expense, because we can always justify needing to eat. You must consider however, food purchased in a restaurant is almost always significantly more expensive than the same type of meal prepared at home.

Why Do You Eat Out So Much?

Pinpointing your motives behind your actions is the first step toward changing those actions. Many individuals cite eating out as more convenient than cooking at home and that it saves time. Forbes author Laurence M. Holland points out that when you calculate the travel time, waiting for a table, waiting to give your order, waiting for your food, and then waiting for your bill you ultimately save no time at all. Not to mention the fact that when you are eating at home, you can also be multi-tasking on other things such as catching up email, or helping your kids with their homework. Eating at home ultimately saves time.

Other individuals may say that they eat out so often because they just don’t like to cook. This is a situation where you must evaluate how important it is that you be successful with your Christian debt management program. If you are truly committed to debt elimination, then doing something you don’t necessarily like to do should not seem like that big of a sacrifice. The truth is people eat out a lot because it is less work for them. This, however, is not a good reason to endanger your budget or your path to being a debt free Christian.

How to Ensure You Eat At Home

Make a Plan

Planning to eat at home more often takes a little organization. You must have a plan. Taking thirty or forty-five minutes once a week to make out a menu and a grocery list will save you a lot of time and money later on. Make sure your menu is specific and that your grocery list will accommodate all your meals. If you are new to cooking, take a look at websites such as allrecipes.com or the Food Network for ideas and inspiration, or do a search for “budget friendly meals”.

Stick to your list

Now that you have your list put together, it’s time to go shopping! If you made a careful menu, then the items on the list will feed your family for that week. You will not have a need to buy other items. Many parents find that bringing the kids with them to the grocery store often leads to overspending. If going alone will ensure you spend less, then go alone.

Plan for eating out.

The fact that you are going through a Christian debt management program does not mean that you cannot still enjoy a meal out on occasion. If your budget has the room for it, set aside some money for eating out each month. Every situation is unique and your personal goals are going to determine the frequency at which you can enjoy a meal out. You may find that you can actually budget for a pizza night each week. We suggest that you are careful to be eating out because it was planned and budgeted rather than because you weren’t sure what else to do for dinner that night.

If you follow these suggestions, you can prevent one of the top budget breakers from getting between you and your financial goals.

Getting out of debt is a big job and requires a lot of sacrifice. When most people begin their Christian Debt Relief program they just assume, “Well, no fun vacations for us for the next five years.”. While there will be many things that must be sacrificed, fun does not have to be one of them. You and your family can still have fun, even without an expensive yearly vacation. Here are a few alternatives to traditional family vacations that will save some money and make some lasting memories.

Kid’s Choice Week

If your kids are accustomed to taking a week-long vacation to somewhere exciting, present a “Kids Choice Week” as an alternative. Explain to your kids you will not be going on vacation, but instead, for an entire week every evening will be kid’s choice. Your kids get to choose the meal, the movie, the game the activity. Give each child a night that can be entirely their own to plan for the family to spend at home together. Your kids will love the concentrated time with each other and the feeling of being in charge.

Staycation

This has become a much more popular alternative in recent years. If you are in a position to take some time off work, plan a staycation. This is a great option for families that have a little money for a vacation but not really enough for travel expenses and hotel costs. Spend some time finding the most fun activities and attractions that are within driving distance of your house. You may think there aren’t any, but you’ll be surprised what you find once you start looking. Each day of your planned “staycation” you and your family will go experience a different place or activity. It could be an amusement park, museum, hiking trails. A week full of day trips. If you have really young children, you would be shocked at how much fun they might have just staying at home and getting to play with you for a few days. This is especially true for parents that work a lot. Just you being home will seem special to them.

Freebie Weekends

If you really have no extra cash, and you don’t think it wise to take time off from work, plan a month of freebie weekends for you and your family. Each state has loads of free activities offered at national parks, museums and other attractions throughout the year. Simply Google “free fun stuff to do” for your state. Pack a picnic lunch for each outing and all you’ve spent is a little extra gas money. This is a really nice alternative because your family will be looking forward to a new experience all month long.