Isn't that an awesome title for a book about budgeting? It has budgeting and hoarding right there, and then adds a hint of doctrine at the end of title. I've had this title in my head for a couple of years now. I'm almost sure it would be fun to write a book about budgeting within Biblical principles. Solomon wrote a ton about money and saving it and using it. Jesus talked about money and the difficulty (almost impossibility) of a rich man entering the kingdom of Heaven (Luke 18:25).
Bethany and I have had a "working" budget for most of our married life. You can actually use a copy of the exact budget here. As we made it a habit to use a budget, and stick to it, it has become easy and made managing our money and saving our money much easier. Looking at how much money you actually have and how little money you actually have makes shopping at Starbucks or buying an Xbox harder to do without thinking it through.
The budget can be so helpful because it is an exact amount of money you have for that time period (mine is a month). You have bills that you don't have a choice but to pay, then you can have a specific amount you want to have to spend on yourself (for Starbucks or whatever), and then you have the money you want to save. Out of those three, the bills can not be changed, but your savings and extra money can. So your decision each month ends up being: "do I want to save or spend this month". And you plan accordingly. Budgeting can also help you if all you have is bills and no savings. Maybe you will find you actually can save because you spend during the month without thinking about it. Maybe you can find out that you could switch cell phone plans to save more, or you can shop at Walmart instead of Publix to save.
The point is simply this: budgeting is the best way I know of to know where your money is going every month. Without it I might own a different TV or Xbox, but how much would I lose because of those purchases? With one, I know I can take my wife out to a movie this weekend and still have a little money left over.
Bethany and I have had a "working" budget for most of our married life. You can actually use a copy of the exact budget here. As we made it a habit to use a budget, and stick to it, it has become easy and made managing our money and saving our money much easier. Looking at how much money you actually have and how little money you actually have makes shopping at Starbucks or buying an Xbox harder to do without thinking it through.
The budget can be so helpful because it is an exact amount of money you have for that time period (mine is a month). You have bills that you don't have a choice but to pay, then you can have a specific amount you want to have to spend on yourself (for Starbucks or whatever), and then you have the money you want to save. Out of those three, the bills can not be changed, but your savings and extra money can. So your decision each month ends up being: "do I want to save or spend this month". And you plan accordingly. Budgeting can also help you if all you have is bills and no savings. Maybe you will find you actually can save because you spend during the month without thinking about it. Maybe you can find out that you could switch cell phone plans to save more, or you can shop at Walmart instead of Publix to save.
The point is simply this: budgeting is the best way I know of to know where your money is going every month. Without it I might own a different TV or Xbox, but how much would I lose because of those purchases? With one, I know I can take my wife out to a movie this weekend and still have a little money left over.
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