Speaking this verse over and over changed my mind and my finances.
Photo Credit – Unsplash, Aaron Burden
Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship.– Benjamin Franklin
THE BIBLE VERSE THAT CHANGED OUR FINANCES
I was at the store looking for an item I needed when I passed by the sunglass display. I’m not sure why I stopped but…. there….. she…. was!
Unsplash -Annie Theby
I didn’t plan on buying sunglasses that day.
I didn’t need sunglasses…BUT those glasses! They were looking so cute and calling my name. They had a pink tone in the best…… possible….. way!
Immediately I thought, these would be fun for the summer.
AND because I was at a discount store the price was R.I.G.H.T……$13.99!
Some thoughts dancing around in my head……
- Some people spend $50 on a pair.
- The last sunglasses I got were $5.
- Even if I had both I still would be around $20.
- That’s not a bad deal.
Don’t you love being inside my mind?
Cough* Cough* Justification
You know it’s bad when you are trying to convince yourself, right?
And the bible verse that changed my finances that day, and many others?
THE VERSE…
“Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 4:6
For some, this might be ridiculous.
What’s the big deal? It’s not like you are buying a Mercedes.
The only problem?
After The Mister lost his job a couple of years back, right after we took our summer vacation, weacquired quite a bit of debt. In fact, truth be told after over a year unemployed plus a move for a new job, our debt grew to 14+k. That was not typical for us or where we wanted to be. A few years earlier, we had no credit card debt.
Now, almost three years laterthe debt isdown to just under $5k and no car debt. This is all while making less than 60k a year for a family of 4 (two teen boys).
And putting down pink sunglasses and reflecting on this verse is one of the major ways it’s been done.
Is it easy?……NO! It can be a lot easier talking yourself outONE huge purchase than a ton oflittle ones….day in day out.
Plus, the sunglasses were adorable.
But it was better for me to have tranquility (peace) than to toil (work more hours) and worry about debt (paying bills) for what?
UPDATE – WE DID IT! We have paid off all debt except for the house!!!!
MORE TIPS TO PAY DOWN DEBT~
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- Asking, How many hours will Ihave to work to pay this off?
- Setting a goal.We would love to be out of debt this year however with our son starting college, and I had to leave my day job (decreasing our income even more)to school our youngest at home, we are placing our goal to pay it off in 3 years.We also have smaller goals.
- Reexamining “good deals”. Ifwe put it on the credit card,there’sinterest. Is it still a bargain?
- We love estate salesfor bargainsbut youalso get a glimpse of what will happen to allthat stuff eventually.
- Lists. Ifwe didn’t plan on buying it, dowe reallyneed it?
- Sometimes the most inexpensive things are the costliest as they add up quicker than we think. How many people go tothat store with a dollar area and end up with a cart full of stuff they didn’t plan on buying?
Of course, there are many books and resources to help one get out of debt, like THIS. In the end, you have to find what works for you.
Whether you are in debt, feeling overwhelmed by stuff, or want to examine your priorities, this verse can bea helpful tool toaccess if it’s worth the two handfuls or if one handful is enough.
|CHECK OUT HOW WE PAY FOR OUR HOME PROJECTS BY DOING THIS|
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