Find alternatives to spending money. For a friend’s birthday, take him or her on a picnic rather than to an expensive restaurant.

When someone suggests that you meet for lunch, propose meeting at the museum on its free day or going for a walk in the park. Instead of buying books and CD’s and renting videos, borrow them for free at a library.

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Fast food: don’t order value meals. This applies especially for those people who would have ordered the burger and a drink, but then see that for only a few cents more, you get the fries too. That timeless truth prevails—there’s no such thing as a free fry. So you end up paying more than you intended and digesting the fries, which for some of us can be construed as a definite liability.

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Build a cash cushion that you can get at quickly in case of an emergency. If you don’t have such a cushion, a broken furnace or other calamity will wreck your budget and push you into credit-card bondage.

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Never borrow to buy depreciating items. Things such as new cars, furniture, clothes, appliances, boats and luxury items should not be purchased until money is available to pay for them.

Don’t borrow to go on vacation, to invest in the stock market, to get married, to keep up with the Jones family (the Jones’ are really up to their ears in debt), to gamble, to give the kids a head start, to bail someone else out of a jam or because you want some extra cash.

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Plastic—ATM card, debit cards and credit cards—are all stand-ins for money. They are not the real thing. They are just representatives, and often poor ones, when they represent debt.

Five reasons to pay cash!

• Paying cash means making some lifestyle changes and sacrifices, but it will keep you from drowning in a sea of red ink on your journey to financial freedom.
• Paying cash keeps you focused.
• Paying cash promotes contentment by adding meaning and value to the things you buy.
• Paying cash lets you own things, not merely acquire them.
• Paying cash makes spending difficult and uncomfortable—exactly the way it should be.

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You CAN do WITHOUT these things:

• Cable TV
• Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Conference Calling
• Gourmet coffee drinks/snacks
• Hobby acquisitions and/or expenses
• Lodging expenses at the beach, mountains or other destinations
• Massages and manicures
• Movies
• New clothes
• Restaurants
• Sports events
• Unnecessary vehicles (all new vehicles)

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The following list of 10 financial principles were penned by the Reverend William J. H. Boetcke. Part of the beauty of these remarks is that they are short, to the point, and easily understood by anyone.

• You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
• You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
• You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
• You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
• You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
• You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
• You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
• You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
• You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independence.
• You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

Still relevant today!

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There are only five things you can do with money.

1.    Give it.

2.    Save it.

3.    Invest it.

4.    Lend it.

5.    Spend it. 

Notice where spending comes in that lineup: last. Spending should never be the first thing you do with your money. Because the proper management of money is specific and orderly, spending it first short-circuits the system with fiscal disorder and financial chaos.

People who have a spending habit that has gotten them into trouble need to make a plan, get out of debt and stop spending money they don’t have. Then when they are in complete control of their money, go ahead and start saving for specific needs or for a home.

But you first need a written plan—a budget. A written plan stands firm whether you’re on an emotional roller coaster or an even keel. Your attitude toward spending should be “no debt, no matter what!”

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These figures taken from USA Today show national averages in various spending categories.

22%   Housing (including furniture and repairs)

22%   Transportation (car, gas and oil, repairs)

15%   Food

09%   Social Security, pensions

07%   Utilities

05%   Clothing

05%   Entertainment, recreation

04%   Medical care

03%   Savings

02%   Insurance (except car and home)

06%   Miscellaneous

It might be an interesting exercise to see how you compare to the average person!

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Enjoy some of the seed! 

The apostle Paul realized that, although everything in the universe belongs to God, if we partner with Him, He allows us to keep some of everything He provides. The farmer who harvests the crop has a right to eat some of it. The one who plants the vineyard gets to enjoy some of its fruit.

 “Give, and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38 KJV).

Your thoughts on this subject?  Your comments appreciated!