Financially Faithful in the Busyness of Life

We’re called to be good stewards of God’s resources, but being financially faithful amid the busyness of modern life is often a challenge. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and be tempted to take the path of least resistance with money. Maybe it’s easier to grab a cup of coffee on the way to work than to make it yourself, or to hit a fast food drive-thru rather than making dinner for the family.

Those small expenses add up quickly, however, and before you know it, there isn’t quite enough money left over at the end of the month to meet your obligations. It doesn’t have to be that way. With preparation, you can avoid it.

Trimming the budget may be easier, so look at the categories where you spend a lot of money first. You may not be able to do much right away with your rent or mortgage, but what about food?

Groceries and eating out can gobble up a big chunk of your budget, but planning can save you a lot of money. Limit carryout meals to one or two a month. Instead, draw up a menu plan for the week. Make a list of the items you’ll need to prepare those meals before you go to the store.

Start with a goal of $1500, then keep going, adding bit by bit. You want to eventually save three to six month’s worth of living expenses in your emergency fund. It may take a long time and you’ll have setbacks along the way, but the peace of mind you’ll get once your emergency is in place will be worth the effort.

Use the snowball method to speed this up. Make all of your minimum payments, but pay more on the account with the smallest balance. When that’s paid off, put your extra money on the next smallest balance. Repeat until the debt is gone.

Those are the ways you can remain financially faithful in the busyness of life. The best time to get started on them is right now!