Earlier this year, we attended a pre-marriage finance seminar at my church. We all arrived with dark circles under our eyes, yawning, at 8:30 on Saturday morning for four hours of money talk. But despite the fact that we were exhausted from the previous day’s travel and marriage mentor dinner, I got so much out of that talk.
I don’t talk much about my faith on the blog, but I’d like to start talking about it more. Obviously being a Christian influences so much about how I see the world and make decisions. The finance seminar introduced me to a new perspective on money that I’d never considered before. It helped me to look at money not as something that reflects our worth, but as ultimately coming from and belonging to God.
It’s Not Our Money
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. ~ Psalm 24:1
Including money! We are stewards of the money we have, not owners. At some point I’ll write more about my faith journey on here, but it suffices to know that I wasn’t raised Christian. So this perspective was totally new to me.
Also, in the seminar, we took surveys to discover our money management styles, which pretty much confirmed what I know about myself. I’m an organized, detail-oriented comparison shopper and I tend strongly towards over-saving (versus overspending). To the point where I sometimes have trouble buying things that I need because of sticker shock.
Being an over-saver had me firmly entrenched in the mindset that I had to carefully guard my money against wastefulness. For example, I am less generous than I’d like to be in terms of giving to church and charities. I never wanted to accumulate money for the sake of being rich and having expensive things, but I did want to have a big-enough financial safety blanket so that we didn’t have to fear hard times. The problem was… that safety blanket was never big enough, because I didn’t trust God to provide.
But knowing that we are stewards of our money, not owners, changes how we view saving and spending. If we ask, “What would God like us to do with that money?”, we get different answers than if we bend to the fear of financial insecurity (or other fears) in our hearts.
Taking a Hard Look at Our Budget
Since settling into our new lives here in Minnesota, I’ve started to look hard at our budget. E and I are both savers by nature and fortunate not to have debt (besides our car payment). However, there are definitely ways that we could change our saving and spending habits to be better stewards of our money. For us that includes:
- Making a conscious effort to trim our grocery bill. We love food! Our grocery bill will never be as low as some people’s because we love trying new things, hitting up farmers’ markets, and generally eating well. (Also E is gluten-free and GF food is $$$$!) But, as the primary meal planner + grocery shopper, I don’t pay as much attention to prices as I should. I buy a little more organic food than is necessary. And I splurge on trendy health food products more than I should. That money could be put to much better use! So my primary goal for this month is to trim our grocery bill by at least 20% by:
- Buying organic from the Dirty Dozen and conventional from the Clean Fifteen
- Paying attention to sales and lower-priced substitutes
- Shopping at multiple stores to get the best deals
- Sticking to my grocery list–trying that new protein bar or those grain-free tortilla chips can wait for another time!
- Start giving regularly to the offering at church. The couple who gave the finance seminar gave us a great tip: budget for giving. If you are young and not making a whole lot, or currently saving for a big goal, it doesn’t have to be a lot. But if you make room for it in your budget, you won’t have to watch the offering plate go by, wondering when you’ll feel secure enough to give.
- Find a cheaper hairdresser. This one’s just for me, not E 😛 I love my current hairdresser, but since I started getting my brows done again, I can’t justify the cost. I get the plainest, simplest haircuts that could really be done for a third of what I pay now. I’ll visit them one last time for “the big chop” post-wedding and then seek out somewhere cheaper.
- Take a hard look at our insurance coverage. Talking with our insurance guy on the phone is not my idea of a fun time. But, it has to be done as it’s quite a hefty expense. Actually, I just did it yesterday, so I’ve already checked this one off for now. I asked and found a few discounts and adjustments that brought our auto insurance down by over 10% for the year. All I had to do was ask!
Going forward, I want to write more specifically about little ways that we discover to make the most of our budget, while still working towards those big goals–but we need some budget adjustments first!
Are Your Financial Goals God-Centered?
Of course it’s okay to want to do things with our money besides give to charity, but I think it’s important to clarify why you are changing your money habits and striving towards particular financial goals.
For example, say you’re saving for a house (we are!). Why do you want a house? Do you want to show everyone how successful you are? Do you want to own a house to “keep up with the Joneses”? Or do you want a house in order to be able to better practice hospitality? Or to build a home for your future children? Your motivations will influence how much you spend and your financial freedom going forward.
But first seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~ Matthew 6:33
Buying a home could be a selfish goal, or it could be a generous, God-centered Christian pursuit. We need to be careful that we are striving for the right reasons.
And now I have a few questions for you!
What are your best grocery shopping tips for saving money?
What would you like to read more about on here with regards to finances?
And tell me something that made you laugh today, just for fun! 🙂