How much have I really given up for my family's financial wellbeing? There are things some would call 'essentials' that my hubby and I have decided to do without, such as:
- Fancy cell phones & plans (we "pay as we go" and our phones are 3 years old! They don't have built-in cameras!! Gasp!)
- Cable or satelite TV (I'm satisfied not knowing what I'm missing)
- Tivo (don't watch much network TV anyhow)
- NetFlix (we go to the library for free video rental)
- Brand-new cars (mine's 17 years old! How old is yours?)
- Brand-new computers (hubby's dad built his machine)
- Power Ball tickets (we don't like gambling)
- Regular trips to the salon (I "dye" for my color)
- Out-of-town vacations
- Dates where we actually spend money
Truth be told, we are not doing very well financially, despite the things we've decided to do without. That's part of the reason for hubby's feverish job search--the other part being our desire to have me stay home with my babies. Once baby boy arrives in January we won't be able to make all our bills, and have the kids in daycare so I can go to work. That's what we're facing right now--the "which bills do we pay this month" lottery. I'm not looking forward to it.
So, this radio program last night really got me thinking about what else we could be doing to save money, and where else we could trim our budget--and totally convicted me of my own selfish nature. During the radio broadcast, the host mentioned getting a question from a listener--basically like "okay, Mr. financial-smarty-pants guy, if our national leaders came to you to ask what you think they should do about the current financial crisis, what would you say?"--and he answered it in a way I didn't really expect. His short answer was this--that he'd tell our national leaders to turn back to God. (Read more of Chuck's message here.) Chuck cites this verse, from 2 Chronicles 7:
13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
That message totally hit me in the gut: we may not be dealing with locusts, but we are dealing with greed and that can be just as damaging, if not more so. Here I am with a car that runs, a job that pays well and covers my insurance . . . the list went on and on, but it all boils down to my first question: How much have I really given up for my family's financial wellbeing?
So, he doesn't know this yet, but my hubby and I are going to start exploring the public transportation system and the feasibility of living with one car, shopping for cheaper insurance, getting more creative with the crock pot and cooking at home, living (gasp!) without super-fast internet (or without internet at all), and the possibility of working opposite shifts so one of us can stay home with kids while the other one works, shopping at the dollar stores and discount grocery chains and skipping out on frozen pizza.
My prayer for today: Heavenly Father, I'm scared. I don't know where the money will come from. I don't really know that money is the answer to our troubles. I don't know what the answer to our financial mess is, but I do know this for sure--it's our fault we're in this mess in the first place, and I'm totally ashamed of it. Father, I'm sorry for my selfishness, and my unwillingness to be satisfied with what you have provided. Please, teach me to be satisfied with you, and please help us figure this out!
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