As I sat down to write this blog, the first thing that came to my mind was Wilma and Betty from the old cartoon the Flintstones – with the trumpet blaring, pocketbooks in hand, in unison they jubilantly shout out “Charge it!” And off they go on a shopping spree! I wonder if Visa or Mastercard paid the producers to create this subliminal mantra?
We are entering into the holiday season of over-spending. Traditionally, retailers operate in the red until the day after Thanksgiving, when the Christmas shopping season official kicks off with what is now known as “Black Friday.” It’s called that because the consumer spending is so intense, that it actually lifts the retailers out of the red and into the black for the first time in the calendar year.
Somewhere along the way, we have become such an instant gratification society,where like Wimpy in the Popeye cartoon – “I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today” we want something today and pay later for it. Again, another subliminal message?
I wonder what ever happened to the traditions of “lay away” or actually having a “Christmas Club Savings” account at the local bank? For some of you, these terms might be totally foreign to you. My mom passed away 8 years ago debt free. In fact, I believe she lived her life never getting into debt in the first place, for anything. She followed the cash envelope system before Dave Ramsey was ever even born, and yes, she used layaway for our Christmas presents as well as for our school clothes each year. She also was disciplined with setting money aside each week into her Christmas Club Savings to pay for those Christmas layaway items. I think the greatest value I learned from my mom was discipline.
Wholistic Health Requires Self-Discipline
When I talk about mental health, I mean things like time-management, budget, career, goal-setting, our purpose in life etc. As I sat to write the blog last week on goal-setting, and now this one, I realized that not just these two, but all areas of our mental health requires some sort of self-discipline. And when I look at our health wholistically, the bigger picture, I realize that all areas of our health and in fact our lives require some level of discipline– at least in order to be healthy and balanced.
According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, the definition of self-discipline is: correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement.
I like what the book of Hebrews, 12:11 says: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” And of course, self-discipline or another word is self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” The fruits of the Spirit are not binding or limiting, but freeing! And one more – Proverbs 13:4 says: “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
So, if Merriam Webster doesn’t convince you, hopefully God’s Word does – discipline is good and a great tool to utilize if we desire health and life. So how does self-discipline benefit our budget?
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Why a Disciplined Budget?
As a country in general, we here in America are so abundantly rich, and yet most Americans are so deep in debt – credit card debt in particular, that they are just one paycheck away from bankruptcy. I believe one of the causes that strongly drives this personal financial crisis is we are so materialistic. (make this a pull quote)Just step into a shopping mall and you can see it all around you. Look at what we pay for a new car these days – and a lot of people purchase a new car every couple of years. How about the size of homes the majority of Americans live in? I remember reading a book a missionary to a third world country wrote. She talked about having someone from the country they had been a missionary to as a guest in their home here in America. One of the questions the person asked as they looked out the window of the home was “who lives there?” As it turned out, the person was pointing to their detached two car garage! Some of our garages are larger than half the world’s homes! But the bigger problem with all of this is that most Americans are living too far above their means, simply because they don’t discipline themselves with a financial budget. We are an “instant gratification” society – not just with our material possessions, but with our meals, our relationships and even our demands on God.
When we don’t have discipline with our finances via a budget, financial crisis is guaranteed to be just around the corner.
Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps
There are some foundational budgeting rules that when implemented, bring much greater security and peace, even in the face of tremendous devastation. I am a big Dave Ramsey fan, and being debt-free is one of his greatest messages. He has 7 Baby Steps to being debt-free and staying debt-free. And not only being free of debt but being able to plan and prepare for the unexpected as well as the future. When these principles are followed, and discipline exercised, they go a long way to financial security and success.
Dave first talks about setting up a budget, and to “tell every dollar where to go.” You start with your basic necessities of life first: a roof over your head (not every child needs their own bedroom or bathroom), food in your belly, reliable transportation of some kind – whether it be funds for public transportation, or your own vehicle (not the latest and greatest, just reliable), and (basic) clothes on your back. Then and only then can you move on down the budget line items and add things that are more “wants” than needs, including cable television, multiple cell phones, more clothes than you need, cosmetic expenses like hairs and nails, and tatoos. All the latest electronic gadgets, and the trendy Christmas toys that will be long forgotten before the new year rings in.
Then here are the baby steps:
Step 1: Save $1,000 for your starter emergency fund.
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Step 2: Pay off all debt (except the house) using the debt snowball.
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Step 3: Save 3–6 months of expenses in a fully funded emergency fund.
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Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income in retirement.
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Step 5: Save for your children’s college fund.
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Step 6: Pay off your home early.
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Step 7: Build wealth and give.
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I personally applied these principles years ago, and still live by them today. While I was blessed to receive an inheritance, I had knowledge of these steps ahead of time, and was working towards completing each of them. Because these guardrails were in place, I knew what to do with my financial blessing when it arrived. It also instilled such a deep conviction in me to never be in debt again – and these are the guidelines that I continue to live by to this day. Do emergencies come up? Absolutely. Does it set me back? Not at all. Have I always lived this way? No – but I wish I had. Life would have been so much easier if I had these guidelines in place much sooner.
A Real-Life Scenario
Let’s use the example of the recent hurricane devastation as our example. As I was volunteering after Hurricane Helene, I became aware of just how much a lack of financial planning added to the unexpected devastation people experienced. Here are some observations I saw. But before I share my insights, let me just say “but for the grace of God go I.” And I truly, truly mean that with all humbleness. These are also my perceived observations, as well as very generalized.
Those Who Recovered Quicker Than Others
There just seemed to have been a difference in mental, emotional and even physical recovery between those who had discipline in their lives, versus those who fell short of this.
Insurance
Some folks who had insurance of some kind – whether homeowners or renters – for the most part had their basic emergency plan in place, starting with insurance. That is what all insurance should be for “in case something happens.” So if they lost their home, or some kind of damage was done to it, then they were at least one step ahead of the game. While they might have been temporarily displaced, they stood a chance of being back in their original home that much quicker. Even if their home was totally destroyed, if they had insurance, they were much more likely to recover from the devastation much sooner.
The same would go for their vehicles. If there was insurance on the vehicle, their primary means of transportation could be recovered sooner as well.
But many did not have adequate insurance, if any at all on their homes, which a lot of the time would include the content of their homes like furniture and clothes, or car insurance. Without insurance these basic necessities for living were gone forever.
Emergency Funds
Even with insurance, there almost always is going to be some kind of deductible that you would have to pay out of your pocket first. When those funds are set as in Dave Ramsey’s baby steps 1 and 3, this helps get the ball rolling for the insurance company to take over from there. It would also allow for loss of necessities perhaps not covered by insurance, including abilities to get to work, or even your place of employment being temporarily affected as well, or even gone for good.
One family we helped, the grown daughter lived on the same property as her mother. Fortunately for them, neither of their homes were damaged from the storm, but they were hindered from coming and going due to may felled trees. However, in hearing their story, the grown daughter shared with us that she had not lived in her own home for over two years because some water pipes burst one winter, and she simply never got them fixed. The home was a great mountain cabin home with a gorgeous view but was not livable because of lack of water. Why? I don’t know the back story answer, but I can only assume she didn’t have the emergency dollars set aside for repairs. Instead, a perfectly good home will most likely, given enough time, rot and fall down in place. How sad.
Community Connection
This crisis wasn’t and isn’t just fixed monetarily, it was not as desperate of a situation for those who had family, friends, church and other community connections around them. Even if they felt alone, and in some cases literally disconnected from society, they still had loved ones who cared about them, searched for them, and most importantly prayed for them. Building and maintaining healthy relationships with family and friends also takes effort, commitment and discipline. One lady we helped through Samaritan’s Purse was blessed by this ministry because her daughter in Florida sent out pleas on social media asking who in the area where her mother lived in northeastern Tennessee could help her. Someone connected her and ultimately her mother with Samaritan’s Purse.
I have a feeling others were not as fortunate. Especially those who have chosen to live as hermits, detached from the outside world except for the occasional trip to town for supplies. Yes, there are still folks in this country who live like this. Not everyone lives in suburbs or cities. But regardless of the choice where to live, living disconnected from relationships is emotionally poor.
Materialism
The more you have the more you stand to lose. That’s not saying it is wrong to acquire nice things, especially if you can afford to do so, however this truth still stands. But what was even worse is when those who obviously lacked the discipline to not just be content with what they had, or could afford, but continued over the years to buy more and more beyond their basic necessities. Then when disaster struck, they not only lost all that they had, but didn’t have the resources to replenish their necessities like a roof over their head, transportation, food in their bellies and clothes on their back.
These were just a few of the observations I made during this time of devastating crisis here in western North Carolina as they pertained to discipline or lack of it when it came to finances. Obviously, this is a once in a million chance that this could happen to you. But there are many other crisis’ that can and do occur over all of our lives, and multiple times over.
And being ready for a crisis is only one strong reason to be disciplined with our budget.It’s also so we don’t get caught up in idolizing the material things and the luxuries of life over keeping God front and center. The flip side of being prepared for crisis is so we can be a blessing to others and to do what God is calling us to do in regard to living out our purpose – whatever that might be.
In Summary
So before you head out the door on Black Friday, don’t be like Wilma and Betty – pause first, have a plan, have some discipline in place and determine first, how much do you have to spend once all the necessities are taken care of first? Then be disciplined and stay within that budget. If the answer is “zero, zip, nilch” then why not start a new tradition come January 1st, and open a Christmas Savings account and be ready for next year.
And here is a suggestion for you: most of us probably already have all that we want or need – none of us really needs more – especially the luxuries. Why not make a donation to your favorite charity, or the favorite charity of the one who already has all that they need, in their name. My Dad had us kids do that for him for years and years – not just for Christmas but for his birthday and Father’s Day as well. When he was asked what he wanted for these occasions his answer was always “do something nice for someone and just simply tell him about it.” The keyword there is “do” – you don’t have to break your own budget discipline just to buy someone something they don’t want or need. Instead, “do” something for someone less fortunate. All of sudden this made giving a true joy once this tradition was implemented. That one simple idea of my Dad’s is probably the single most thing I am most proud of him for and will always be engrained in my heart and mind of who he truly was.
What lasting impression can you make by exercising discipline with your budget? All kinds of things are possible when you are in a position to be able to freely give rather than fear the consequences of the unexpected.
I pray you have a blessed and disciplined upcoming holidays – you might be surprised how far a little dose of self-discipline can go!
One Last Word of Encouragement
Remember, it is GOD Who is the giver and provider of all things, including our finances. I love this scripture from Philippians 4:11-13 the Amplified version of the Bible:
11 “Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances. 12 I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need. 13 I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”
I pray that we all be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us, and that we first keep our eyes fixed on Him and the rest will follow. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Do you like to get a jump on your Christmas shopping? How about gifting that special someone who wants to learn more about their health with a copy of “Are You Being Deceived About Truth Wellness?”
“Are You Being Deceived About Truth Wellness?”
Here are the other blogs in this series:
“How Committed Are You to Your Wholistic Health?”
“You Were Made for a Purpose”
“How Do You Know When You Get There?”
“Are You Ready for 2025?”