As many of you know from our Christmas newsletter we've been following Dave Ramsey's steps to financial freedom. We've been working on Baby Step 3 (Saving 3-6 months living expenses) for about a year. As of two weeks ago we reached that goal!!! God has been so faithful to provide and sometimes I am amazed that we got there so quickly. 
No sooner had we celebrated our victory then John's car had to have a major repair. However, that just happened to be same week I got my 2 yr bonus at work, had overtime in my paycheck and got our ComEd Refund check in the mail. Needless to say, God provided in a big way and we didn't have to touch the money set aside. It was such a great reminder of God's provision and care for us, no matter what.
We've been a little slow to start moving on to the next step but I am excited that we've made it this far. We don't know what the future holds but at least we know Who holds it.
Becky's Rants and Raves:
Ok, so this is my time to get a little off my chest. I think it's because God has blessed me with sound financial teaching from an early age and wisdom that I have never been a huge spender. Plus, I've never been one to have to keep up with the latest fashions or trends. And yes, I realize that I probably have no sense of style, but I'm ok with that.
I do and don't understand why people think the way they do about money. I know that doesn't make sense, but let me explain. I understand why people can be influenced to think they need everything now, even if they can't afford it. Advertising and marketing in our country is extremely seductive! Credit is readily available and if you interviewed 10 random people, probably 9 of them have some sort of debt whether it's a car payment, or college loan or mortgage. So this message that it's ok to spend what you don't have is out there.
However, what I don't understand is why people buy into it. To me all it takes is a little common sense to understand that you don't spend what you don't have. When you are teaching children about money you might take them to the store and say, "Here is 1 dollar. You can buy whatever you want with this dollar." So they look and decide and bring you what they want. It adds up to $2. So what do you tell them? Well, normally a good parent who is teaching them would tell them they have too many things and need to put something back. You help them learn that they can only get $1 worth of goods for the $1 they have on hand.
So what happens when we grow up? All those rules don't apply anymore? They should. Our national government and state departments are all broke. Why? Because they spent what they didn't have and borrowed what they couldn't pay back. Obviously it's no wonder society followed their lead. We really need to get back to the basics. I tend to agree with Dave about getting rid of credit cards. Cash is a sure fire way to control spending. $2 is $2, not $500 that you can spend now and pay back over the course of your life.
I am passionate about this topic and feel like I have some personal knowledge and experience with it. I understand sometimes life throws crazy circumstances at you and not everyone has a choice, but most of us do. I have not made perfect financial decisions and I do regret some choices I've made, but overall I am very happy that from a young age I never got hooked on credit. If I wanted something I saved for it and then bought it. I do consider myself so blessed to have had parents that could help with some major expenses and I realize that is not the case for many either. However, instead of throwing away the money I did have I was able to save. This allowed my husband and I to be debt free early on in our marriage. It is a huge blessing to know that we wont' miss any payments no matter what happens on the job front. And now with our savings even if a job loss occurs we are covered for a little while. There is so much freedom in that.
I'm not saying all this to brag. If anything I brag that God's financial plan works. Try it out. Save and then spend, not the other way around. Don't let our credit driven, you need it now, culture get it's grip on you. Just like you should say no to drugs, say no to credit! Say no to debt!
No comments:
Post a Comment