At Home With Your Kids – Not Money Again!

A penny earned is a penny saved

Managing your Finances and Budgeting the easy way!
To keep a family happy and debt free you need to have good control of your spending habits.
Putting it down on paper is the best way, this is called a budget.
Tell your money what to do and not the other way around. (Quoting Dave Ramsey now!) A budget will relieve the worry of do I have enough to
buy that new movie that just came out, or if you needed new shoes for the
kids. It will take some time to get grip on it, but once you do you will
never, ever be the same.

One of the biggest causes of marital strife and divorce is money,
or the lack there of, due to mismanagement. Talking it out before you get married,
will help you the rest of your lives. Not talking about it at all will only cause you trouble.

Having over due bills and creditors hounding you can really put a wrinkle
in your married life and the relationship you have with your kids.
Learning to spend wisely is not hard, it just takes a lot of practice.
By having good spending practices ourselves we also show our kids how to be
good stewards over what they have too.

Whether you get paid weekly, bi-weekly, or just once a month,
you can learn to budget your money and to make it work better for you.
Here is something that works for me… I take a large envelope, (you can also use a file folder with a bills list just like the one below)
size 12 or 14 and draw lines across the front length wise…
write all my payments down…
biggest first, then down the list. Don’t forget even one tiny payment.

I do this for every month of the year, but you don’t need to write the list on
them until the week before the next month begins, but it helps.

I mark name of the bill, amount, date due, and leave a place for checking off what date it was paid.

Example:

Feb 2003 (always mark the month and year in bold letters.)

If you do this every month, you can get a very good idea of what bills are paid on time, and what you have left to pay.
You put information that pertains to your needs as well.
You put all of your receipts in the envelope, bills, groceries, gas, etc…
Write down your tithing and saving plans on this envelope too. be faithful to put some in every month.
As you pay off one bill, put that money onto another one and you will be debt free before you know it!

This has worked wonders for me. You can make this system work for any situation, and it is easy to “take care of”. Try it and see!
Remember to put all of your bills on the envelope, then you won’t forget any.
It is also fun to watch the list get smaller as you pay something in full and it is no longer on the list!

HINT* If you look to the Bible to help you with your finances you will have true wisdom about money and financing.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.— Romans 13:8

Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you. —-Proverbs 22:26-27

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace
I urge everyone who needs budgeting help to take his Financial Peace classes, or at least
read his book Total Money Makeover.
NO I am not affiliated with Dave Ramsey, but I do believe
in his process to get right with your money!

Debt Free?
Sometimes it helps to re-finance your home if you can bring the interest down and payoff some bills,
BUT don’t do this unless you are committed to not jumping back
into more debt, PERIOD! This can lead to a serious debt cycle in your life.
Being Debt free is the best way to *relieve stress*!