Stresses Of Life: Money

                                                          

                                                                               Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                           everyday is a journey.




The battle of our life is won,
And heaven begun,
When we can say, "Thy will be done!"
But, Lord, until
These restless hearts in Thy deep love are still,
We pray Thee, "Teach us how to do Thy will!"
LUCY LARCOM.



Years ago, money was a huge stresser for me. I became tired of living paycheck to paycheck. It took a financial class with Dave Ramsey for me to realize I was spending more than I was actually bringing in. Statistics claim that the average person is only $300 to $400 dollars away from being neck deep in debt. All they need is for their car to break down or a hospital stay to occur and suddenly tough decisions have to be made between paying a phone bill or car insurance. 

In this class, I learned three very important facts about money:
1. How to spend money.
2. How to save money.
3. How to respect money. 

Learn these three things and you will be free from financial stress. Easier said than done, right? Yet, it's true. We started treating money with respect. I should say, we started treating the money we had with respect. The problem is that people spend money they don't have. There's a vital difference here. 

First thing we did in the class was list all our expenses that concern our four walls. No loans or extracurricular activities, just what it takes to maintain the four walls of your home. Then we added up what we actually bring in after taxes and on a separate sheet, added up the expenses. Do you know what happened? Every single person in that class was spending more than what they were bringing in to pay for it. That's just for your living expenses within your four walls. How can anyone ever keep up financially with that? It's impossible.

Since that class all those years ago, we made some rules to live by when it comes to spending money. These rules are not here to punish us, but to keep us on a successful path of living debt free. Debt is not our friend. Keep repeating that to yourself. 

1. We do not spend money we don't have. That means no borrowing from others or using credit that we cannot afford. If we can't pay for it right there, we don't get it.
2. We don't upgrade or buy large purchases until they are broken. We don't buy the newest phone, or car or the latest gadget on impulse just to be keeping up with anyone else let alone the Smith's next door. 
3. When going shopping, we make a list and only buy what is on the list. I have to be honest , there have been times that I have veered off and bought extra things. These times have been extremely rare. 
4. Just because we have money doesn't mean we have to spend it. That's important. 

So are we completely debt free? No, but we're getting there or at least, we're trying to get there. What about you?

Have a blessed day everyone.