One of the things that has been on my
mind recently is the need to share with my children and grandchildren
some of the most important things I have learned in life. I don't
know if you've experienced this, but there are things in many
different areas of life that stand out as important lessons that have
a profound affect on how we live our lives. Usually if we learn such
lessons, life is better and more rewarding in many ways.
Another thing that I think is important
is for the older generation to share those lessons with younger
people so that perhaps they can learn from them and avoid some of the
pitfalls that occur in life. So little by little as I think through
these learning experiences and as I prepare them in written form to
share with my family, I thought it might be helpful to share them
with a wider audience as well so that whatever is beneficial in my
experience may help others.
So, we'll get started today with
something I learned about budgeting. What I'll try to do is if the
topic is too long for one post, which it is today, I'll continue in
succeeding days. New topics will appear sporadically as I finish
them. They'll all be tagged under Life Lessons so that you can find
them easily.
I was blessed to have a dad who taught
me budgeting and a wife who understands thrift and careful shopping.
Because of what I learned from them, God helped me to know what works
best when it comes to using money wisely and saving for the future. I
spent my career working as a teacher and administrator in a rural
public school district. We decided early in our marriage that my wife
would stay home and focus on our children as they came along. Through
the years we were able to pay off our mortgage, pay cash for our
cars, and send our kids to a Christian college debt-free. The principles that
I'm sharing with you are based on biblical principles and actually
work. We are a testimony to God's faithfulness in keeping His Word.
Whole books have been written on
budgeting, but what I would like to do today is lay down a few
principles that you may find helpful in making ends meet and the
dollar stretch. What most people don't realize is that even if they
don't budget, every dollar is spoken for and by not having a budget,
you don't know who or what has claims on the money in your pocket.
Consider this scenario. You're out with
the family and decide everyone might enjoy stopping at McDonalds for
a frappe. For a family of five, that will cost you over $15. You know
that you have a twenty dollar bill and a five in your wallet and so
that's enough to cover it. You want to be a nice dad and you want
your kids to be happy and so you stop for the treat. The problem is
that there are bills and expenses coming down the road. Some you know
about and some you don't. Most people I know don't have a lot of
extra income compared to their expenses and so most dollars are
spoken for. The fact is that even though the money is loose in your
wallet, it is probably spoken for. There's a car insurance payment of
$400 due next month. Maybe the $15 is part of that. Has your wife
told you yet that Johnny needs new shoes? That's coming tomorrow.
Maybe the $15 is part of that.
Before the days of computers, my dad
had an envelope budget system. I'm going to describe it to you so
that you will understand the gist of how good budgeting works. Each
person can adapt the illustration to his own situation.
Read the rest tomorrow.
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