Well, the long story goes like this- Just over a year ago, Luke and I became the blessed parents of a wonderful son. His name is Beck. Oh I could go on for hours about him! But he is not the point of this little note. The point is... well, you will see.
I have to say I was quite impressed that, though I was on maternity leave, every second Tuesday our bank account would magically have enough money to pay the mortgage! How nice of you Canadian Government! I was quite enthralled with the whole "system". Anyway. My year of mat leave was coming to an end and I realized that this free money was no longer going to be part of our monthly income. So, I got out the trusty old calculator, and a note pad. I was going to put our family on a budget!
Budget. Ok. Seems pretty straight forward, as it should be for this math-minded gal. Of course, it is simple to figure out how much we spend each month on the necessities. And the not-so-necessities. The question that haunted me was "How much should we be spending? And how do I know if we can afford something, anyway?"
Good old Google. Did you know that you should budget 35% of your income for housing expenses? There is a breakdown for everything! This is amazing! Do others know about this? I just have to say, I wish someone had told me this YEARS ago!
Here I go again with my calculator... housing, vehicle, fuel, bills, groceries, personal, savings... Tithe. wait, that's 110% of our income? Ok, where can we trim a little...
Well, initial shock over with, and we are pretty close to where we need to be. But something does not make sense to me... Now how do I DO this??? Cash system?No debit cards, credit cards? But I have so many automatic payments? Ahhh!
Can someone please tell me? Do it for me?
Honestly I can't believe how hard this is for me to do. Math has always been my strong suit.
However, applications have never been. I am finding this in other areas of my life and frankly it annoys me like crazy! But I seriously have not the slightest idea where to begin, with this and with a long list of other things.
When it comes to the family finances, I must confess that I have a super hard time giving generously that which is the Lord's, or tithing. I heard one Bible teacher say that All of my money belongs to the Lord, and he lets me decide how much of it I get to keep. I agree with the teacher, I really do, but in this area I struggle greatly. Recently our Sunday sermon was on the topic of giving. I was convicted more than I have been in church in a while. Literally so uncomfortable in my seat. Yet, I am still holding on to my money!
The first step is always the hardest one. Especially because I don't know what it is.
My desire is to be obedient to the Lord, I strive to be a woman of noble character, being a good steward of what I have been given, to have my household in order, to be generous and to be hospitable unto my ever gracious and generous God. I will only be able to accomplish this by his mercy... (and possibly a little help from my friends who know a thing or two about it?)
Thanks for reading! If you remember,please pray for us in this area, and if you have any advice I'm open to it!
Barbie
