One family I know went two months spending only cash and getting a receipt for every item. They had to place each receipt in an envelope that was marked according to their spending categories.
They said it made it much harder to let the money go when they had to actually touch it first.
One of them said “Sometimes we didn’t have cash money, so we didn’t spend it.”
They also told me they were shocked at how much they discovered they spent from certain categories. They were able to determine to shrink those areas once they knew how loose their spending in the area had become.
The next two weeks they will have a budget determined on how much they wanted to limit themselves in each category. The envelopes will only have that much money in them. When it’s gone there will be no more spending from that category.
These are the kinds of hard choices I’ve been pointing you to. If you are going to survive, you will have to save all you can. Saving is not comfortable at all.
It gets more comfortable as you get more used to it. I would recommend tightening the straps even more when you reach that point of comfort again. Right now we need to think this way.
Give All You Can
One of the first things that came to my mind about the financial crisis is how many people will be in trouble.
I want to be in a position to help. I don’t want to be one of those who needs the help.
But if things don’t change I will be in a financial crisis. I suspect many people are heading that way right now. Not a whole lot of people who will be able to help.
We have been so fortunate in this country and we have gotten used to our needs always being meet. We are used to great comfort. It is the expectation of comfort that will cause so many people to use up their last bit of resources even in this time of economic crisis.
It’s certainly true of me. If I don’t strap down and make some hard changes my expectation of comfort will cause me to run out too.
Frankly, I want to be different. I want to be ready to help and give to those who need help.
There is physical element to giving that makes it healthy. When you are likely to be depressed because of a rescission or a coming depression, this is a practical way to cheer yourself and certainly cheer others around you. To give is only simple if you’ve got something to give. To have something to give you’ve got to be proactive to earn and save and start doing it now!
I’m suggesting we need to make changes now!
Start following the Godly principals laid down by John Wesley almost three centuries ago: Make all you can make, save all you can and give all you can give.
I believe this is how we will best survive.
