Did you know that this year Christmas is on December 25th?? Haha. Yes...I know I'm being funny, but I cannot tell you how many of our coaching clients tell us that they use credit cards to pay for Christmas because it "snuck up" on them.
Don't let Christmas sneak up on you! Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you begin (or complete) your Christmas shopping.
Before we started on this journey of Christ-centered financial wellness, I never thought much about money being currency. In my mind it was just a term that was used by financial analysts. But today is a new day. Today I understand the importance of currency and what it means in my life. Today I understand that money and electricity have a lot in common than you think!
If you're on fire to get out of debt as quickly as possible, chances are really good that nothing is going to stop you. If you're at the other end of the spectrum and continue to live without a budget and beyond your means, there's nothing anyone can do for you.
But the ones in the middle...the ones at the corner of comfortable and debt free...those are the people we help the most.
What if we managed our money the way I managed my weight? What if we chose to be random about budgeting (on again/off again) the way I was about Weight Watchers? I know with certainty that we would not have paid off nearly as much and would probably have incurred more debt.
We were able to get it all done because we lived by a budget. Month in…month out…we lived by a budget. Because we used a budget, we knew exactly what money was available and could make adjustments midstream.
I’ve been thinking about Christ-Centered Financial Wellness since 2012. I just didn’t have a name for it. All I knew was that I wanted a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and I wanted to feel more financially “well.” The idea that they could go together was a great “aha” moment for me and that’s when the vision began to take shape. I’ve learned a lot about both since then and want to share what I’ve learned with you.
My husband Keith always says that change starts with the man (or woman) in the mirror. I tend to agree. Over the last few years, I’ve worked to grow my own Christ-Centered Financial Wellness. I had to challenge old thought patterns and make choices to embrace new ways of thinking. I had to learn to trust the Lord with our finances and the plan He had for our family. I had to do the hard stuff like make a budget and stick to it month after month…choose debt reduction over holiday visits with family…rent instead of buying a home.