Making Financial Progress When Money Is Tight with Brian Holtz

The same principle applies to saving. If all you can set aside is $5 or $10 a week, start there. Small amounts may not seem significant, but consistency matters.

Jesus praised the widow who gave two small coins in Mark 12:41–44. The monetary value was tiny, but her gift revealed something much greater about her heart.

Faithful stewardship isn’t measured only by the size of the step. Sometimes the important thing is simply keeping moving in the right direction.

3. Use Windfalls to Create Margin

Occasional extra money can become a powerful tool when used strategically.

A tax refund, bonus, rebate, gift, or an occasional month with an extra paycheck can help reduce expenses that normally consume your monthly cash flow.

Instead of spending that money automatically, consider using it to eliminate a small recurring payment. Perhaps you can pay off a phone, clear a small department-store credit card balance, or eliminate another modest bill.

That may free only $10, $20, or $50 each month—but now that money can be redirected toward your next priority.

It’s similar to a miniature debt snowball. One small victory creates margin, and that margin fuels the next step.

When money is tight, momentum matters.

4. Shop With a Strategy

Another way to create breathing room is to become more intentional about everyday spending.

Start by prioritizing essential expenses such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, and other obligations. Then evaluate optional expenses.

That may mean pausing a streaming subscription during a difficult month or postponing a purchase you would otherwise enjoy. Needs should generally come before wants.

You can also make your grocery dollars work harder by purchasing staples when they are discounted. If chicken is half-price and you know your family will use it, buying an extra package may reduce future grocery costs. The key is buying strategically rather than simply buying more because something is on sale.

Small decisions like these can gradually create room in a tight budget.

Don’t Despise Small Beginnings

When finances are strained, it’s easy to become discouraged because you can’t immediately accomplish everything you want to do.

But stewardship is not about achieving financial perfection overnight. It is about faithfully managing what God has placed in your hands today.

Pray for wisdom. Start smaller if necessary. Use unexpected income strategically. Choose needs before wants. Then allow each wise decision to create a little more margin for the next one.

As Zechariah 4:10 reminds us, we should not despise small beginnings.

You may not be able to change your entire financial situation today. But you can take one faithful step—and then another.

On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:

• My husband has been in a nursing home for four years and is on Medicaid. I’ve been told that once I retire, if my income exceeds about $4,000 a month, I may have to contribute more toward his care. Is that true? And could using some of my 401(k) to pay down our mortgage affect how Medicaid treats my income or assets?
• I keep my emergency fund in savings, but the interest is low, and CDs limit access. Would a money market mutual fund be a good place to keep emergency savings?
• I’m receiving Social Security survivor benefits from my late husband. If I remarry, can I continue receiving those benefits, particularly at my age?
• I’m 63 and have both a traditional IRA and a 401(k). Will my traditional IRA withdrawals be fully taxable in retirement, and would a Roth conversion make sense before I retire? Also, should I contribute only enough to my 401(k) to receive the 4% match and put additional retirement savings into my IRA instead?

Resources Mentioned:

• Faithful Steward: FaithFi’s Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)
• Compass Financial Ministry
• Making Ends Meet Video Study (Compass Financial Ministry)
• Fidelity Government Money Market Fund | Schwab Prime Advantage Money Fund | Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund
• FaithFi Field Guide: How Much Money is Enough? 
• Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West
• Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money
• Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety
• Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool
• Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA)
• FaithFi App