Dear Reader,
Today we are going to talk about saving. Eh. I know. I even hate uttering the word. It’s especially hard to save for a rainy day when it always seems like it’s raining or when your life seems to just move from one crisis to another. Alas, saving is necessary and it’s a biblical principle. Even in the first days of God making his presence known to the Israelites, we learned about saving because he had them save mana because it wouldn’t drop on Sabbath. Exodus 16:23–24.
One of the easiest ways to start putting money together for savings is to spend less. Maybe there’s something in the budget that can be cut for now. For me, I cut out certain streaming devices and cable because I don’t really have a ton of spare time to spend watching tv so it only makes sense for me to have one or two streaming services for that rare Saturday night when I want to binge. I also really wanted to do those monthly delivery food service things but I couldn’t justify 400 a month as a single lady on food when I have a full pantry!
Another way to save money is to go outside less. If anything, the global pandemic taught me that if I stay inside I somehow stick to my budget and spend less money. For some reason, my people pleasing antenna is so heightened I just get in the mode where I want to look like everyone around me and wear what they wear, eat what they eat and drive what they drive. The problem with keeping up with the Joneses is that some of the Joneses only appear rich, when in fact, they are broke. If I center myself around activities that uplift me and please God, I can probably spend less money. If God puts me in places where I rub shoulders with rich people, I know that I am not them, I may not have the same handbag but I’m at this table because I have something to offer.
Full disclosure, I am notorious for saving money and then having to use the savings like three months after accumulating it but nevertheless I persist in saving. Here are the methods I’ve tried and you can too:
- Automatic withdrawal of a set amount from checking to savings biweekly
- Naming the savings account- For example: moving expenses savings; health emergency savings
- Buying a Keurig. I used to work at Starbucks and other coffee shops so I am obsessed with coffee; I like trying different kinds and flavors. Keurig gives me the same opportunity to try different brands and flavors, the same convenience of instant gratification, without the dent in my wallet.
- Wait a day or a week. When I find something I am just burning to buy, I wait to buy it. It turns out that the burning desire to purchase that item may just be pressure from targeted marketing and a few days later I realize I don’t really want it anyway.