If you were visited by a former version of yourself in January or February of next year, what would the experience bring? Would it bring the regret of overspending and the debt to prove it? Or would it bring the peace of knowing that you spent well, accumulated no debt, and thoroughly enjoyed the act of giving?
I’m glad you asked. Here are 3 ways I believe you can reminisce with joy of fonder times.
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.
As we have learned more and more about how to lead a life of Christ-centered financial wellness, we discovered another aspect of budgeting that we now embrace wholeheartedly. It has come to the rescue more times than I ever thought possible and I'm excited to introduce it to you today. It's called the sinking fund.
Let’s walk through the 3 things you need to know about sinking funds.
Five years is a long time to work on a goal. And I won't lie and tell you that it's been easy for me to stay focused on becoming debt free and living a life of Christ-centered financial wellness. Part of the reason was that I didn't know I needed to be financially well and I thought I was already Christ-centered.
This is what I learned to make it through.
What if God were your server at your next dining out experience? What type of tip would you give Him? Would you "grade" Him based on His ability (scratch that...decision) to answer your prayers in a timely manner? Would you be more generous or less generous if your prayer "order" did not meet your expectations?
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.