Wise Stewards
Tithing:
Foundation of Provident Living
“The foundation
of provident living is the law of the tithe. The primary purpose of this law is
to help us develop faith in our Heavenly Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ. Tithing helps us overcome our desires for the things of
this world and willingly make sacrifices for others.”
Robert
D. Hales, “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually,” Ensign,
May 2009, 9
Start
giving regularly
Over 250
scriptures that have to do with money…must mean money matters are pretty
important if found thru-out scriptures
1.
Payment of tithes ---Fast – double it, promised blessings, testimony
2.
Both husband and wife-honesty
3.
‘Track’ or journal like a diet-- “wealth” watchers –count dollars like calories- smart
phone app – trying to save and have one??? L
4.
Establish between needs and wants.
"Avoid
the philosophy and excuse that yesterday's luxuries have become today's
necessities. They aren't necessities unless we ourselves make them such. . . .
It is essential for us to live within our means."
Thomas
S. Monson, "Constant Truths for Changing Times," Ensign, May 2005, 20
How
serious are we?
Make a
lifelong promise to ourselves to spend less money than we earn. –That’s non-negotiable- automatic
saving with less spent
Just
about everything else we will discuss falls into the category
of
spending less that we earn.. Spending less than we earn is the key to finances
which are at peace, and is the most important lesson when it comes to personal
finance. We can do everything else right, but if we spend more money than we
earn – we will not be in a good financial position. Cut our Expenses
Start
an Emergency Fund-sell
stuff if necessary- it’s for emergencies
Pay
off all consumer debts---realize that the Jones are in debt- your flashy neighbor has a flashy
debt of an avg of nearly 16K
Avoid it
to begin with Psalms 37:21 “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but
the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth”
Proverbs
22:7 says “The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant to the
lender”.—With no debt, money finds itself.
Choices
– all about – tithing and word of wisdom- if you are doing these things, you
are set-up for success
Malachi
3:10
10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine
house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be
room enough to receive it.
Shop with
menu for week
Base
groceries around flyer
Use 3
month pantry supply
Coupon
strategy
Popcorn
vs. chips…bag of potatoes…
Plan
leftovers
Garden-
Garden –
someone else till/plant your land – use your water – share in harvest
Simplify
RS meals
Freezer
Bulk
Zaycon
Canning/pressure
canning/food saver
Crock pot
Dinner
half price..entertainment book, groupon
Restaurants…order
take out from and no tips
Cooking
self
Don’t
take anyone shopping with you
PBJ in
the trunk instead of quick drive thrus
Drink
more water
Cut back
convenience foods
Quadruple
casseroles
Price
comparisons
Eat
breakfast
Eat less
meat/live off garden
Group
buys – esp. preparedness
Shopping
Condense
trips
Best cost
cutting tool is a good nights sleep
A coupon
isnt’ a reason to go shopping
Shop with
cheapskates
The sales
rep is not your friend
Write a
list before you go shopping
“you can
go broke by saving money”
Customer
rewards programs
‘shop’
for everything…online great tool
Don’t
take anyone shopping with you- and never go for entertainment purposes – you
will buy something
Use
Ebates when shopping online
Simplify
your wardrobe-look at wardrobe as a whole
Insurance
rates
Shop
right after season
Shop when
no one else wants to…bad weather/season good time to buy house
Jewelry
from discounter
Skip dry
cleaning clothes
No brand
names
, “Is
_______ really necessary?” or “Can I get ______ cheaper somewhere?”
30 day
rule/ten second rule
Repair
clothes
Yard
sales- take care
Buy
staples in bulk
Sales on
what you NEED
Utilities/services
Compare
Rates For Utilities & Other Services
Bundle
services
Examine
bills
WhiteFence.com
Get rid
of your land line
Saving
energy –light bulbs, thermostat, appliances
Maintenance
run on appliances
Streamline
cell
Air seal
home
Surge
protector
Transportation
Used
cars/efficient
Maintain
Clean air
filter
No
tickets
Slow
acceleration
Entertainment/
More time
as a family
Board
games
Hike/walk
instead of dinner out
Library –
no magazine subscriptions
Turn off
the tv- no guilt, comparison, low self esteem, less electricity, yuck, focus on
other things
Groupon
Collections-
critical eye
Invite
friends over instead of out
Swap
books/dvds
Don’t
spend money entertaining kids
Video
games with lot of replay value-buy used
Don’t
spend money on de-stress
Cancel
cable
Cut down
vacation spending
Health
Keep your
hands clean- saves med, time
Generic
everything
Razors—
Exercise
more
Exercise/sports
Skip the
gym
You can
get much cheaper access to a gym AND use it too!! Sign up for a class at a
local community college (as little as $35 a semester). Then, use your ID to
work out at the community college gym. That is a lot better than the $30-$40 a
month most gyms charge.
Exercise
more -health
School
sports vs. community sports
Cancel
memberships
Stuff
Buying
used stuff always saves money
Sell
stuff
Live in
smaller home –just because someone will lend it doesn’t mean you should borrow
it—consider tithe as expense when determining mortg. Qualification
Buy a
used/more efficient car
Haircuts/coloring-do
it yourself
Banking
Use
PerkStreet Financial‘s Cash-Back Debit Card
My
PerkStreet 2% cash-back debit card
Switch to
credit union
Negotiate
your better rate on credit
Simplify
your bill paying process- do online and save stamps, envelopes, time (mine is
worth min $40 per hr)
Do a
budget
Use
online banking – check every day like your email
Create a
balance sheet
Organize
bank accounts
Automatic
savings transfer
Do your
own taxes – use turbo tax
Hide
credit cards
Investing
Pay off
all consumer debts- only if we have $
Save
every raise
Every
b-day check your weight and check your credit score….one you want up and the
other down…if good, keep the same
Pay bills
on time
Don’t
worry about deals when applying for credit cards
Credit
cards – keep usage down, but good raises score
Do
employers matched 401K
Pay off
house early
Investing
in you- what is your true hourly wage
Career
goals
Get/make
a will
Get term
life insurance
Start
saving for children’s college -- wouldn’t do this until I had my debt paid off
and had a head start on saving for retirement. Your kids can take a loan out
for college, but the only loan you can get for retirement is on a credit card
and that seems a bit foolish to me
Find out
about all job benefits
Stock
like job – less aggressive investing, job security
What’s
the worse that could happen and can you take that risk
If
there’s a bandwagon to jump on – don’t – its usually too late by that time
Big
numbers make people do stupid things
Exercise more discipline and discernment – which requires us to be worthy of that still small voice!!!
Regarding
Investing
Elder
M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “There are no
shortcuts to financial security. Do not trust your money to others without a
thorough evaluation of any proposed investment. Our people have lost far too
much money by trusting their assets to others. In my judgment, we will never
have balance in our lives unless our finances are securely under control”
(“Keeping Life’s Demands in Balance,” Ensign, May 1987, 13).
Holidays’
Re-use
Trade
Skip
greetings cards with gifts or period
New plan-
3 gifts, homemade, dollar limit
Set aside
for gifts /vacation $ before you go/buy
Simplify
work- usually saves money- in all areas whether it be holidays or church
service
Give
service
Misc
collections
Give up
expensive habits- nails, be grateful for that which we don’t have to give up -W
of W
Huge list
– not complete – but may have generated some ideas of your own.
One idea
is that we may need to make more money! If you have no income to make basic
needs like keeping a roof over your head, driving a non-clunker car, eat what
you want, take occasional vacation or even staycation, and save a decent
chunk…you may very well be miserable. And on another note, If all your basic
needs have been met, more $ will not make you happier.
If
time…at home biz….prt time, subtract costs- may be able to find ways to save to
come close to the income and the cost of having it; discipline may be the key;
at home dry clners alterations/repairs; daycare; home party biz (unpredictable
income) ; house cleaning- school hours, economy affected- could do with a
friend.
Choose one or two…commit
to that which you can do and have FAITH
Daily
reminder/inspiration/--put it where it can be seen.
Don’t beat yourself up
when you make a mistake.
Always look ahead.
Never give up.
"One
of the better ways to simplify our lives is to follow the counsel we
have so often received to live within our income, stay out of debt, and save
for a rainy day. We should practice and increase our habits of thrift,
industry, economy, and frugality. Members of a well-managed family do not pay
interest; they earn it."
L. Tom
Perry, "Let Him Do It with Simplicity, Ensign," Nov. 2008,9
Elder
Robert D. Hales video presentation:
