Tips To Save More Money
I love my job as a homemaker but it has come with many challenges through the years, one of the biggest challenges has been the ability to stretch a dollar. Although, David says I could squeeze a nickel and make the buffalo poop two pennies! But that has come with years of practice, planning, and budgeting.
Over the next several posts I would like to break down all the ways I have learned to save money and challenge each of you to cut down on your spending to create a financially stable, eco-friendly environment at home. I am by no means an expert in finance. I am simply sharing my life experiences in the hopes of helping others achieve the same financial freedom I have found in living a simple life directed by God and his word.
“Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your vats will brim over with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10, NIV).
The first thing that you need to do with your finances is give God what belongs to him. Tithing is mentioned all throughout the bible in the Old Testament and New Testament. Traditionally, a tenth of all crops, livestock, and other possessions were to be set aside for the Lord and was considered holy. Tithing first appeared in the book of Genesis chapter 14 when Abraham gives a tithe to the priest king of Salem, Melchizedek. Tithing later became part of the Mosaic Law or the Old covenant under Moses law. In the Old Testament giving a tenth of your possessions was law but in the New Testament under the New Covenant we are encouraged to give as an act of love through Jesus Christ.
Growing up I was taught tithing was more than money and could consist of lending a helping hand to those in need, whether it be financially, physically, mentally, or spiritually. Giving is a sign of trusting God to take care of your needs and the needs of others. I know the more I give the more I receive and putting God first in every aspect of my life has revealed his blessings in more ways than one. To be prosperous we must first let go of what we have and not become attached to the things of this world.
The second thing that needs to change to start saving money is your mindset, don’t spend your life working for money, make money work for you. Money is a tool and should never be the goal.
The bible says “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6: 9-10, NIV).
Money is a physical object and is necessary for our physical beings, the advantage we have as believers over non-believers is that we are aware of the choice we have between serving God and serving wealth. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, NIV).
I know from experience that if you trust God with your finances you will have everything you need and more. The world tells you that you need money to be happy and survive, but when the money runs out the only thing you have left is the stuff you bought which depreciates the moment you buy it.
When you have God it doesn’t matter if the money runs out and all your possessions depreciate because it says in Hebrews, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”(Hebrews 13:5, NIV).
Jesus also said in Matthew, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ( Matthew 6:19-21, NIV).
There is nothing wrong with having money or nice things just as long as the money and nice things don’t have you.
The third thing you need to do to save money is to understand how to manage and use your income to your advantage. Ask yourself these simple questions;
- 1.“What is my monthly income?”
- 2.“How much are my monthly bills”
- 3.“How much can I budget for groceries and other monthly expenses after the bills are paid?”
- 4.“How much is left to put into savings?”
After you ask yourself these questions you can have a better idea of where you can try to cut costs to maximize your income. Everything we own has cost hours of our lives to acquire, if we buy stuff we don’t need and make poor decisions we throw away the hours we work each day. The old saying “time is money” holds a lot of wisdom when you realize the hours you put in at work determine the life you come home to.
My husband David has been the breadwinner since we got married thirteen years ago, we agreed that he works to make the money and I stay home to work to save the money. I have had part time jobs and side jobs through the years we’ve been married but my main job has been homemaking. A lot of people have questioned me about how we make it on one income and my answer is to put God first, live below your means, budget, and don’t buy what you don’t need.
I was making my weekly grocery list one day and as I looked around my house I wondered how much food, electricity, and other products we waste without realizing it. I started researching how to swap disposable items with reusable items, coupon and receipt reward apps, store memberships and rewards, energy efficient alternatives, DIY projects, food prepping, and bulk buying/stock piling.
What I learned is that you never have to pay full price for anything and that a little bit of patience and a whole lot of discipline go a long way. I have my weekly routine where I take inventory around the house to find out exactly what we need, check weekly sale ads at my usual stores and websites (Wal-Mart, Kroger, Amazon, Chewy) I check prices at different places to be sure I get the best deal that week. I check my coupon and receipt reward apps to try and match products I use to current coupons and points to earn gift cards. I make sure the list stays on budget and that we get what we’re going to use.
Something that has helped me is to always write items down at full price on the list just in case the sale or coupon doesn’t work so you don’t go over budget, you will always come in under budget with items that do take off the sale and coupon amount. After the groceries are bought and put away I sit down with a hot cup of coffee and scan my receipts on my apps to reap the rewards. I will go into more detail in the next several posts the further we venture down this money saving rabbit hole.
I have learned not to ask God for money to make me rich but to ask him for wisdom, knowledge, understanding, discipline, patience, and self control over my home and finances to be free from this materialistic world and bask in his blessings.
Join me again for my next money saving post and learn more about where I shop to save money and what to look for.
Read part 2 here, Financing a life through God: Part 2.