Financial Freedom

My last blog included an assignment for my readers...log your time for one week.  Since I wanted you to have a full week to accomplish this, I wanted to change topics for this blog and then return to that topic next week.

I wanted to give some simple suggestions for financial surgery. First of all, there are three million people more qualified than me to give financial advice. So I am including a link to Dave Ramsey's simple steps to get you on the right track to financial freedom.

http://www.daveramsey.com/new/baby-steps

After reading this, draw a line in the sand and declare war against the grip that money holds over your life. The best way to accomplish this is to start by tithing 10% of your money. If you struggle with acknowledging God as the giver of all that you possess, that would be the wisest place to begin. Acknowledge the giver. Paradox?  Yes, but it works.

Next, work backwards.  I remember when Mark and I made the decision to stay home for a few years after having two babies, we set our budget this way.  We made a list of the non-negotiables.  Tithe, house, electric bill, food, water bill, gasoline, etc. Unless it was absolutely indispensable, it did not get written down.  Then we saw what money was left over for "luxuries." Not much, actually:)  We MADE the budget work because we were so committed to one parent staying home for a period of time with our boys.

This blog is not a commercial for stay at home moms.  I am simply using this as an example to commit to a financial plan. It may mean canceling cable TV.  It may mean selling a car.  It might involve cutting up a credit card. I have mentioned this before. In our situation, the answer to every purchase was a resounding "no!" Most families would not have to be as radical as Mark and I.  School teachers in Mississippi do not make very much money and it was a tough decision to make.

The great thing about this is that you will become used to a new way of thinking about money.  You will no longer see it as a source of entertainment.  Shopping will not be a way to cure boredom.  You will become creative in the ways you can save money. We are made for this kind of life.  I will never  buy a lottery ticket because it may mess up my life!  When I see signs of relying on money to make me happy, I blow up a bomb and try to get back on track. I simply do not want to live like that. Make a list tonight about the things you MUST have to live. Then shorten the list.  Begin finding your joy in things that are eternal, not temporary.