When the most recent recession hit our country, many people were really traumatized as their long held ideas about money were destroyed.

For a few generations, America had bought into the idea that wise money management was defined by your credit score and anyone with a college degree and a 401K was financially invincible. Then companies closed, 401Ks disappeared and engineers with master’s degrees walked into unemployment offices for the first time. We have had to rethink our ideals concerning money on a personal as well as national level.

Many people are going farther than just re-thinking their ideas on money, though.

Many individual’s are beginning to realize that our core ethics are really at the heart of our money choices. When poor money choices determine the rise and fall of an entire nation affecting millions of families in the space of just a few years, it becomes apparent that we are dealing with something much more profound than just personal financial choice. We are dealing with a morality issue, not simply a money issue.

Indulgence, excess and entitlement are all contributing factors to money mismanagement on every level; personal, business and national. We indulge ourselves with possessions beyond our budget, our spending exceeds our income and we justify it all with a prevailing sense of entitlement that has no basis in the Christian religion.

There is a movement in America, especially among Christians, to reverse these ideas and to establish a new money morality that can be passed on to our children so that the next few generations will not face the same disasters.

No Easy Money

One tenant of this new view is to realize that there is no such thing as easy money or a free pass.

Working hard to earn a college degree is a wise investment of time and money, but at best it can only increase your odds of good employment opportunities. There are no special groups that get special employment opportunities. We must all do our best to secure honest employment for our self and we are all at the mercy of our economy.

Rethinking Social Status

Another aspect of our money morality that is changing, although slowly, is the way our society thinks of social status.

Social status has traditionally been defined by our education, employment and possessions. However, there is a new way of determining who we admire in many of our social circles. Financial security is the new cool kid on the block and it is better than brand new cars, three story houses or designer clothing. Manageable mortgages, paid for vehicles and chunky emergency funds are what many turn green with envy over.

After watching families lose their homes and struggle to even put food in their mouths, many Americans are much more concerned with security  than they are with impressing their neighbors.

Less Is More

One of the most apparent changes folks are making to reflect their new money morality is to scale back things such as vacations, birthdays, and holidays. Many families are finding that simple vacations, low key birthdays and modest holidays can be just as enjoyable as the excessive, indulgent events of the past.

The feeling of maintaining control and sticking to a budget is much more fulfilling than the short lived enjoyment of extravagant spending.

Explaining Yourself to Others

If you are among these financial revolutionaries there will be some who do not understand your new stand on financial choices. When you are facing questions from others you can take one of two approaches. You can either try to explain all of your reasoning behind your choices and attempt to educate others, or you can simply inform people that this is your new financial lifestyle, nothing more needs be explained than that.

Many individuals in our country have undergone severe financial difficulties. If not you, likely your neighbor. We must learn from the troubles that have arisen from living in excess. We must adopt a new money morality and change our entire outlook on money management, especially if we are wishing to manage our finances from a Christian perspective.