One of the things I learned early on was the need for a budget.
Money is part of all our lives. It is something we never have enough of and for many is the cause of much stress. I have watched people make strange choices around money in their life and like many at times, I have struggled on how to get ahead.
Early in our marriage, between God’s grace of having work and managing the money well, we were able to pay off our schools debts quickly. Working with a budget was how we were able to reach that goal. At this point in our life we have also chosen to live off one income to allow my wife to be home with the kids. That has meant we have to say no to some things and each season brings its own challenges. Through each of those seasons a budget has allowed us to manage our money.
We need to manage our money if we are going to enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.
Here are four reasons I use a budget:
-
Pay the bills
This may seem obvious, but really how are you going to pay for your bills? If you do not know how to budget you can find yourself in some trouble really fast.
-
A plan helps you reach your goals
At one time in our life we had the goal that the next van we purchased was going to be paid with cash. I hate buying cars because they are not a good investment, but they are a necessity in my life. For a season we had some extra income in our life and we saved it. Trust me there were things we thought about spending it on. We took control of the money and reached our goal. Budgeting can be a great tool to help you reach the financial and material goals you have.
-
Increase your generosity
Having a budget has allowed us to be generous with our money. Setting a budget lets us not feel guilty when we say no to someone when they ask. If we do not know how much is coming in and going out we will never be able to bless others around us. For followers of Jesus generosity is a value, and so we use a budget to help us live that out.
-
You control it and are not controlled by it
By knowing what exactly is coming in and where it goes allows you to grab it by the neck and control the direction you go in. Some seem to live a life that more resembles being tossed around from one wave to the next. In handling money you can either control it or let it control you. Debt has this way of putting us in bondage and it holds many people back.
Budgeting lets you take steps away from debt grabbing you by the neck. Given how our world works today, you may need to take some debt on, but you can quickly learn to control it.
How have you found using a budget helpful or not helpful? What tools do you use?
We need to manage our money if we are going to enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.