Many people are going through a difficult time in regards to their financial situation. They owe more on their house than it’s worth, credit card bills are piled high, and there is little to no hope for their financial future. Sounds like what you’re going through? Well, there are three simple tips you can follow today to turn all of that around.
You might think that I’m about to tell you to get a budget. While that’s a great step, and budgets are certainly needed for financial success, they are not the only thing needed. The principles I’m going to ask you to participate in are principles that require an attitude adjustment and sheer determination. Let’s get started.
Tip 1: Seek financial accountability and stability.
If you’re married, you have the potential to become very strong and stable financially. Consider the potential benefits:
- The opportunity for two incomes. If one person loses their job, at least the other has a job! Two strands are stronger than one.
- Each partner keeps another’s spending in check. Even just knowing that a purchase might not please your spouse leads you to spend less. This is a great opportunity for accountability.
- Each partner encourages the other to do well in work. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get burnt out. My wife is always there to help me through those difficult times.
- Find someone who is a close friend who will hold you accountable on a regular basis (for example, who will look over your budget every week or month).
- Build up a larger emergency fund to fight against life’s unexpected events. Anything can happen. If you lose your job, will you have enough money to last until you find another job?
- Share your long term financial goals with your friends and family. The simple act of sharing your goals with friends and family will help keep you accountable. It’s a great motivating factor that pushes you to live up to what you said.
Tip 2: Systematically eliminate your debt.
I’m convinced that debt crushes one’s ability to prosper. It keeps you down in a number of ways:
- You’re paying interest. In other words, you’re spending money to spend money. This can sap your wallet in no time, and keeps you financially poor.
- You’re betting that you’ll have income in the future to pay off what you’ve already spend money on. But what if you don’t have as high of an income in the future? Well, you’ll default on your loans and might go into bankruptcy.
- It keeps your stress level high because you’re having to think about your mountain of debt. Debt is very burdensome. But sometimes we don’t realize how much stress it is causing us until we get rid of the debt.
You can get rid of your debt in a number of ways, but I recommend using the debt snowball technique. That’s where you pay off your smallest debts first moving up to your largest debts. You might ask why you would want to do that when you could pay off the highest interest rates first? Paying off smaller debts first motivates you to keep going, and the difference you’ll save paying off higher interest rates first typically isn’t very substantial.
Tip 3: Surrender your finances to God.
To get, you must give.
To be secure, you must surrender.
To live, you must die to your self.
These themes are repeated time and time again in the Bible, and they are true for our financial health as well.
If you aren’t giving to your local church, today is the day to start. Giving money to God and letting God manage the rest through you is the best financial decision you can make. Taking on the burden of giving feels more like losing a burden. Control when lost can help you trust God with your financial situation. Be responsible with your money and manage it God’s way.
If you follow these three principles, you’ll receive a boost to your financial health. Try them out, and I’m sure you’ll be happy with what you see!
How have you been able to boost your financial health in the past year? What worked for you? Share your story with us in the comments below!
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You make some great points!
I think another advantage of the snowball method is that it eases up your cash flow more quickly as the smaller debts get paid off. Ideally you use it as your snowball to pay down even more debt but if a minor emergency happens, it can help keep you from using a credit card or possibly having to dip into savings.
Thanks for sharing your insights on some simple solutions to improving your financial position. I especially like you statements on giving to get, dying to live, etc.