My Minimalist Journey: Finances

I've actually always been pretty good with my money. As soon as I got a job in high school, I set up a system where I saved half of my paychecks, tithed 10%, and lived off of 40%. Granted, I was living with my parents, so my only bill was my phone bill, and the only meals I took care of were the ones I had at work or out with friends. Still, I was in the good habit of living below my means.

I applied for a credit card as soon as I was old enough because I knew I needed to build good credit if I ever wanted to buy a house or car. I also got a Kohl's credit card, since I loved shopping and wanted to take advantage of the perks that offered me.

I didn't work my freshman year in college, and I blew through my savings account that first year. Snacks and clothes add up.

I got a job in the theatre on campus and started working at Kohl's to pay for this new spending habit. The employee discount meant that I could buy more.

It caught up to me, though.

Various other incidents took place that cost me money, and I started racking up debt. I remember realizing that I didn't have the money to pay my minimum payment of $30 on my credit card. I was distraught.

That same day I got a check in the mail for a few thousand dollars, one of those scams that have you deposit the check then send them a check for the same amount in order to get a larger check. I almost fell for it because I was so desperate for cash. Fortunately, I listened to those around me and ignored it (not like the scammers were going to get anything from my emptied bank account).

I broke down and asked my parents for money, and my pride took a hit.

That was enough of a wake-up call for me to take a look at my spending habits. I held off on superfluous purchases, and slowly began to pay off that debt.

A few years later, I got married, and I married my husband's debt, too.

He didn't have anything in savings, and he viewed credit differently than I did.

I was put in charge of our budget. He trusts me with our finances, and we discuss big purchases beforehand. We "snowballed" our debt, as Dave Ramsey calls it. In a couple days, we will be virtually debt-free, with our mortgage being the only debt left. We intend to pay it off early and maintain a 3 month emergency fund. Lord willing, we'll be able to accomplish these goals.

A great resource for financial freedom is Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover 



I recently read a book that I won 7 years ago at a conference. God's Economy challenged me to reevaluate at my financial goals. I've been planning and budgeting to save up for retirement and kids' colleges, but my main intention has always been to be more generous. It would be really awesome if we could give away over half of our income. These goals have been in direct conflict with each other.



God's Economy argues that it is possible to financially invest in eternity in the here and now. We need to recognize the power that money has on people in order to disrupt its hold. Rather than seeking after the American Dream, we should be seeking to meet the needs of those around us. I'm currently grappling with how to apply the principles laid out in this book to my life. It's an unpopular, radical idea, but there's no reason we can't try.