Living within your income August 6, 2007
Posted by Han in : Finance , trackbackLiving within your income is never easy. You need to have proper discipline and self-control. But one very important ingredient to ensure success is contentment. Without contentment you will never be able to spend less than you earn. Saving will be the last priority in your life. It’s never enough and you always want to have more!
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men 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. I Timothy 6:8-10
Be contented is to recognize the basic necessities that you need. Identify what are your “basic necessities” and what are your “nice to have”. Buy only what is needed.
Be contented is giving thanks for what you already have instead of complaining what you do not have. Remember you are never satisfied. You have to put an end to it. How? By identifying your basic necessities, as for the rest of the things, honestly speaking, you will not die if you don’t have it.
Be contented also means not to compare with your friend or neighbour. No matter how much you have, there bound to be someone else who has it more than you. But if you really want to compare, then compare your internal spiritual condition rather than comparing on external material possession. Your spiritual condition is your real standing before God. God will not check how much money you have accumulated; He will only ask how much you have given out!
Get your heart right, be contented. If you are not contented, it is very difficult to live within your means:
Practical suggestion on how to reduce your bills and improve the quality of your life:
1) Are there services that you are paying others to do that you could do, such as laundry and grass cutting?
2) Do you subscribe to newspapers or magazines that you could do without?
3) Can you cut down on long distance phone calls and write email instead?
4) Can you reduce the numbers of times that you eat out?
5) Can you reduce the numbers of meals you have each week and spend that time in fasting and prayer?
6) Are there possession that you are not using that you could sell?
7) Do you have high-depreciating items that you should sell?
8) Are there credit cards that you should destroy?
9) Can you reduce your air-con or electric bill?
10) Does your family pet require excessive time or money?
11) Do you belong to country club membership which require high fee?
12) Can you reduce your medical and dental bills by practicing preventive medicine?
13) Can you cut down on your driving and do more walking?
14) Do you spend an excessive amount of time or money maintaining your hobbies?
15) Do you spend money on entertainment or on habit which you should conquer?
I know not all these suggestions are applicable to you. Some may even sound ridiculous but the whole idea of listing it out is to trigger you to think how to save and cut cost. The question is not what to cut but whether you want it or not? If you want it, I am sure there are some areas you can do without. In this case, you can better manage your financial situation.
The bible says godliness with contentment is a great gain (1 Tim 6:6-7). If you learn how to be contented and live within your income, I am sure you will avoid many traps, problems and heartaches.
Comments»
Great post. Sounds a lot like me.