Hello everyone! Here a a great interview I wanted to share from Jill @ living on a dime.
I was recently interviewed about debt free livingand how living without debt relates to my faith. I thought you'dfind some of the answers helpful, so we'll be including some ofthem in the newsletter. -Jill
Interviewer: What are the top lessons you would give a family oreven a single person who is dealing with a tight budget?* Stop spending.* Don't think that using a credit card or getting a loan will makeit better. Going into more debt will not help you get out of debt.* Get rid of your pride. You may have to shop at garage sales for awhile. You may not be able to have your kids in sports and youmight have to say no to friends when they want you to go to anexpensive restaurant. Pride is a sin. God didn't kick the angelsout of heaven because they murdered someone or were doing drugs,drinking or smoking but for pride.* Stop worrying about what others think or whether or not you aremaking a good impression. We constantly tell our kids not to givein to peer pressure but we do it all the time. We Christians can beespecially bad about worrying what other Christians are going tothink of us. That is the same as when your kids worrying abouttheir peers.* Cut back on everything. You can save 50% on your grocery billbefore you even go to the grocery store by simply exercising goodportion control with your food. It is better for you, too. Go froma 30 minute shower to a 5 minute shower. Not only will you save onutilities, but your skin will thank you.
**This should be number one: tithe. Right now when others arepanicking about their 401k's or about what their stocks are doing,I don't have a worry in the world. I have invested my money inSomeone who has promised that no matter what happens in the world,including with finances, I and my children will be fed and takencare of. He has demonstrated His faithfulness over and over. To me,my tithe is the best savings a person can have.* The real test of a person's character occurs during hard times.
**Keep your integrity, be responsible and be trustworthy andhonorable whether your situation is your fault or not, whether itis fair or unfair. Proverbs 22:1 says "A good name is moredesirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silveror gold."I once received a notice of foreclosure on my house. I had 2 weeksto come up with $35,000 and I couldn't sell my house. I didn't have$35. I wasn't sure what to do. If I lost my house, my kids and Iwould literally be out on the streets. After a few moments ofpanic, I prayed and God told me what to do. One of the first thingsI did was to call the banker and tell him I wanted to start up ourold business, which I knew nothing about and had no money forsupplies, no customers and a limited market.What loan officer do you think would say, "That's great-- forget the foreclosure and you don't even need to make a payment untilyour business is up and running well"? None that I know of, butthat is exactly what he said. We had banked there for a while and,because of that, he knew I always paid my bills (the foreclosurewas because of my husband's debts he incurred when we wereseparated). The loan officer said "Jill, I know you and trust youto pay so I'm not worried."Everything God tells us to do is for a good reason and it isusually for our good. He wants us to have a good name because He knows at times when things hang in the balance, a person's goodname can tip the scale in the right direction.
* Don't decide you are going to change your ways and then expect God to suddenly produce a miracle and make all of your debt goaway. God loves you, but He is also a just God. He expects you topull your weight and if you spent 5 years carelessly spending, youmay have to work extra long and hard for 5 years to get yourselfout of your mess.It would be like telling my teenage son to clean his room. After amonth goes by, he is out of clean clothes, can't find anything andhas been grounded by me for failing to do what I told him to do. Hetells me how sorry he is, insists he'll never do it again andrepents all over the place, but he still has to clean his room,which is such a big mess it is going to take twice as much work.I forgive, but he is perfectly capable of cleaning it himself, sohe has to clean up his own mess.
Here's something to think about:In Matthew 6:24, the Bible says "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will bedevoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." We always think that this verse relates to having lotsor money, that it only concerns the wealthy or those seekingwealth, but it can pertain to the poor and those in debt, too. Be careful. What controls your waking thoughts? God or money? Whatdo you seek after more? God or a way to pay your debts? What do youtalk about more with your family? God or how the bills are pilingup "in these hard economic times"? Do you spend all of your moneyeating out, playing a game of golf, buying your kids sportsuniforms and dance lessons and having your nails done or do youfirst tithe?I have found most people give their money to whoever or whateverhas their heart and soul. I don't say these things to condemn youbut to get you thinking, "Do I have things mixed up? Can I dosomething differently? Do I need to change something, even if it issomething small?"We guard our families in so many areas. Don't let Satan sneak inthe back door with this and destroy you, your family and your testimony.
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