It was one of the most profound yet simple phrases I had ever heard:
“Give First, Save Next, Live on the Rest.”
My pastor, Andy Stanley of Buckhead Church in Atlanta said this one Sunday a few years ago and it changed me forever. It wasn’t new information. Before we were married my husband and I attended pre-marital counseling and felt strongly about getting on the same page financially. We read Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Makeover” and applied his philosophy of debt-free living the best we could before cancer came into our lives.
But it was the simplicity of Andy’s phrase. You could own it. It could be your motto, a phrase that defines the way you manage your finances. It didn’t just strike my mind, but my heart too.
Give First.
We can’t serve two masters– and if God is who I really believe gave us my job and the finances to live the way I do, then I will honor Him by offering him a part of my money first. So we do. But it wasn’t always this easy.
Money is hard to give when you are afraid of not having enough.
That is where the shift in my heart occurred. I had to trust God to give my money away. I started small, giving it to charities I felt needed it most- $20 a month at first. As I began to trust more and felt led to do so, I began giving to my church, eventually writing checks for 5% and then 10% of my paycheck. It helped to know what charities and causes my church was involved in, but really it was an issue of trust at that point. I couldn’t micromanage my church’s finances no matter how much I wanted to.
I began to realize that God wasn’t after my money. He was after my heart. So each and every day I try to manage my money in a way that is honorable. And when I begin to worry or feel the urge to hold onto my money, I give even more. Giving is the cure for a selfish heart.
Save Next.
The past couple years have forced many American families to live more simply and frugally. I get it- my own husband lost his job 4 weeks before my daughter was born in 2009. Thankfully, mainly due to our “Dave Ramsey” lifestyle, the only debt we had was my college loans. And luckily, we have been able to live off of my teacher’s salary while he has grown his own Post-Production company, TINT Studios.
We drive older cars we bought with cash, we don’t have cable, and we share internet with our next-door neighbors. Saving has been hard for us lately, but I love what Dave Ramsey teaches about this- that before paying off any debt, you need to establish a $1,000 nest egg for emergencies. Then, eventually as you gather your finances and priorities, you should strive to save for 6 months of emergency living expenses.
Live on the Rest.
What do we really NEED as humans? An expensive, extravagant wedding? A nice house with rooms for each child? 2 new cars? Digital cable? Brand new clothes?
NO. Sure, it would be nice, but you don’t NEED any of it! In an unexpected twist of “fate,” my family has learned this. We only buy what we can afford with the money we have. We haven’t purchased a home yet because we want to be able to AFFORD it, not completely finance it. I don’t mind having an older car- if it gets me where I need to go and has heat in the winter, I am happy. And I don’t have to pay for it each month, which makes me happy too.
My Financial Commitment for 2012:
1. Continue to only purchase with money in my bank account. No credit card purchases.
2. Continue to strive to give away at least 10% of my income.
Some other tips for saving money in 2012:
1. Buy and implement Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover and get your debt snowball rolling!
2. Give a percentage of your money away each month. Search for a charity or give to a church/ place of worship you are passionate about.
3. Buy food and hygiene products off of Vitacost, the cheapest source for natural household products on the web.
4. MAKE your own products such as deodorant and facial cleanser.
5. Eat VEGAN or Vegetarian several days a week. Meat is expensive and organic meat is even more pricey!
6. Eat out less. We limit ourselves to 3 or 4 times a week of eating out (usually Jason’s Deli salad bar for $7.49) which includes my husband’s “business” lunches.
7. Cancel your gym membership and work out at home!
8. Find FREE activities around your area to do over the weekends.
9. Try living as a minimalist. I have been intrigued by the writer of Minimalist Adventures.
10. Grow your own backyard garden or container garden like me!
11. Lower your insurance premium by ditching your HMO for a lower premium but higher deductible HRA. We did this and are saving $100 a month on insurance and didn’t have to a pay a penny out-of-pocket this year for medical expenses since we didn’t go over our $1,500 medical spending allowance.
12. Purchase your clothes at a second-hand “Thrift-ique.” My favorite one in Atlanta is Nearly New.
Make your 2012 Financial Commitment Public Below in our Comments Section!