- Get paid what you're worth and spend less than you earn
- It is easier to spend less than it is to earn more.
- Stick to a budget
- How can you set spending and savings goals if you don't know where your money is going?
- Pay off Credit Card Debt
- This is the number one obstacle to getting ahead financially
- Contribute to an retirement plan
- Have a savings plan
- Pay yourself first
- Resolve to set aside 5%-10% BEFORE you start paying bills
- Invest
- Maximize employment benefits
- Review your insurance coverage
- You need enough....but not more than enough
- Update your will
- If you have dependents, no matter how much or how little you own, you need a will
- Keep Good Records
- If you don't keep good records, you're probably not claiming all your allowable deductions and credits for tax time.
One thing that is missing from this list, because it is not based on God's Word, is Tithing. Our tithe should be the very first thing to come out. While many of us justify lack of tithing to "I don't have any money left" after bills are paid, there is REALLY no excuse for not tithing. I've learned this by watching my mom in law. She tithes first. She tithes every single month. She is on a fixed income. She has no extra. Before she buys groceries, pays bills, or goes out of town or even out to eat, she tithes.
And she always has enough. Maybe not any extra, but always enough.
I confess I have not been a faithful tither. I have used the "too many bills" excuse. I am sitting here terribly convicted of my lack of faith in God to provide and of my selfishness in not being satisfied with His provision. As with the many changes I've made this year, God revealed to me that this is an area in which I am not submitted to Him, an area where I do not trust Him. (ouch)
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