Get in a better financial position and feel more comfortable and confident about your future with a few steps that will help you get your finances under control. We all have times when we handle our finances better than others. But the main thing is to stay on track with our larger goals. If you make mistakes, and we all do, just pick up where you left off and get back on track. If you prepare for your financial future, you’ll be living better than most people around you in the end. Financial health is an important part of the wellness wheel.

people working on getting finances under control looking over budget and talking

It’s Christina here, Kent’s wife and he wanted me to share some wisdom we’ve learned over the years with you today. It’s easy to live larger than your paycheck and we have always been experts at having more month than money. It’s hard to get your finances in order when you don’t have enough cash coming in to meet the obligations you’ve made.

I remember years of living on $3.49 an hour (that was the wages back in the day) and after paying our rent of $165 on our house, and utilities, we had no money left for food, clothing, transportation, or anything.

We robbed Peter to pay Paul. We collected pennies. We took odd jobs. We did everything we could to live, but we just couldn’t make it. Kent was a full-time student and worked a part-time job for even less than what I was making. We had a baby to feed, clothe, and provide daycare for. And it just wasn’t working.

So what did we do? We took out student loans. Student loans that 30 years later, we are still working on paying off. Borrowing from your own future is never the way. You may have to make huge sacrifices now to have a better future, but it’s worth it. There are many things I wish I would have done differently as a young person.

But we are about to get those loans paid off, and we are about to pay off our house. We don’t have any car loans and haven’t for the past two years. And we are working toward getting debt-free in all areas. Neither of us has big salaries. Kent makes a modest wage as a fitness coordinator and I make very little profit at home daycare. Between $4000 and $10000 a year. So, we have to be creative with finding ways to keep our finances under control.

computer, glasses, cell phone, and piggy bank on a table

scripture for finances

The Bible speaks about money more than many other subjects. There are many proverbs that discuss the importance of controlling your money such as the borrower is the servant to the lender, Proverbs 22:7. But it also talks about being a giver because you can’t outgive God. Luke 6:38, Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Tithing is an important concept with God. Everything we have is His, He’s just letting us use it. So if we honor Him with the first 10%, we will reap more benefits from the 90%. We have proved this promise over and over again in our lives and you can take it to the bank!

organizing finances

The first step toward being able to get your finances under control is to organize what you have. Make a list of every bill you have. Make another list of every source of income you have. Make a list of other things you need to budget for such as food, clothing, and savings.

Take some time to think and pray about what is on these lists. Put some real effort into it and call a family meeting. One person cannot steer the finances on the home on their own. Everyone has to be on the same page with the goals or they won’t be reached.

jar of change with sprout growing out of top lined up with stacks of coins with sprouts growing

dave Ramsey budget

Dave Ramsey has a wonderful budget program that is easy to follow. He is the expert, and his teachings helped us go from chasing our paychecks to living comfortably on the same wages we were making.

I highly recommend you checking it out to get your budget in order. You can sign up here and it’s free. It’s been a life-changer for us.

Controlling budget

Once you make a budget, it’s important to stick to it. The process can be broken down into steps. Establishing the budget, comparing what you actually spent with the budget you set up. Figuring out what the discrepancies are, and then taking action for next time.

control spending

Now that you have your budget made and are learning to control it, you have to control your regular spending. There are so many ways to save money just with your health journey. You can meal plan on a budget and save TONS of money eating at home rather than eating out. It will help your waistline as well as your overall health in addition to saving your finances and food budget. Here are some easy ways to save money on groceries.

calculator, books pen, sheets to work on finances

There are even more ideas that will help you save money on food.

Stay away from Amazon, don’t go to Target. There are so many ways we can control impulse spending. You may think saving 30% off a pair of jeans is a great deal, but if you don’t buy them, you’ll save 100%. Think about how many hours you would have to work your job to earn those jeans.

ways to save money on a tight budget

Putting back an emergency fund to be able to borrow from yourself when something comes up can seem daunting. But it’s not as hard as you might think. There are creative ways you can save money on a tight budget here.

I believe that you can make a huge difference in your finances with a few small steps that aren’t as hard as they might seem. We did it, and we didn’t make any huge gains in income either. We just had to change the way we thought about our finances. You can do that too.