You work hard for your money. Now, what you’re doing with your money is the real question. In the last month or so, I have made a conscious decision to be smarter with my money as a single woman of God. This staggering fact is no fairytale: According to Money Magazine, “In a recent American Express poll, 61% of couples said discussions of household finances were turning to arguments. A year ago it was 45%. Unfortunately, money conflicts tend to be more negative than other kinds of fights,” says Lauren Papp, a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who’s done research on the topic.” (http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/07/pf/marriage_and_money.moneymag/index.htm)
Single woman of God, don’t you think this is the best time to get your money in order before God sends you your Boaz? Let’s first take a look at what the Word of God says about money. I really believe that the reason that people have a hard time managing their finances is because they don’t have a healthy perspective and/or respect for money.
1) Let’s face it: Money answers ALL things
The Bible says “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; But money answers everything.”
( Ecclesiastes 10: 19) Now the Bible does not say that money is all that we need. When we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the favor of God ALONE can open doors that money cannot. However, money does help advance the preaching of the gospel, bless the Church, and pay your bills. Therefore, it’s important to understand that although we don’t live for money, we do need money while we are still here on this side of Heaven.
2) Be faithful with what you’re making now
“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:11) Single woman, if you desire to be a wife and mother someday, but are not faithful over your finances now, do you really believe that God is going to entrust to you a husband, children, and a household? Taking small steps now to be financially stable now will have huge rewards later.
3) TITHE!!
Malachi 3:8 makes it crystal clear: “ Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘ In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” Ladies, giving unto the Lord a tenth of what you earn is not only demonstrating your obedience onto the Lord with your finances, but it allows God to bless you exponentially.( Read Malachi 3: 9-12). If you are not a faithful tither as a single woman of God, make the choice to start today. Not only should you be a tither, but the person you may be courting should also be a tither. This will bless your household when the two of you get married.
4) GET OUT OF DEBT!!!
We all can agree that debt steals your joy and your freedom. You may be a single woman with student loan debt and/or credit card debt that is probably up to your eyelids. Don’t lose heart! There are several ways to help you with eliminating your debt before you walk down the aisle. With any consumer debt you may have, a married friend of mine taught me the “Snowball Effect.” First, make a list of everything you owe, from the smallest amount of debt to the largest amount of debt. Start by paying off your smallest debt first. Once that is paid off, take the payment you were making towards the smallest debt and use that money to pay the next largest debt. Soon, you’ll be finished with all of your debts! Now granted, this may not happen over night. But, I believe that God will honor your efforts in getting out of debt. So far, I have finished paying off two credit card bills that I once owed. It was such a relief to finally be finished with those payments! Here are some resources that are very helpful to help you get debt free
1) www.daveramsey.com. Dave Ramsey is a fantastic leader in financial peace that a friend of mine got me plugged into. Sign up for his Debt Snowball Plan tool on his website.
2)www.money.cnn.com I receive the Money Magazine in the mail monthly and I am learning some great information to be better educated abomy finances!
There are of course a plethora of resources out there to help you with your consumer debt, and student loans. Do your research!
5) SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!
Sometimes, because of the amount of debt some of us have, it may seem virtually impossible to even think about saving. One you have eliminated the debt that you have, you will be in a better place financially to save maybe $50, $100, $200, or whatever amount you desire in a savings account. I love listening to Joyce Meyer’s teaching seminar entitled, “Becoming Debt Free.” This woman of God suggests( which many of you have already heard by way other people) to put at least $1,000 away in savings. Emergencies will happen: a flat tire, an unexpected hospital bill, etc. Putting away money in a savings account on a monthly or biweekly basis will help you establish good habits that will follow you when you are married. Joyce Meyer gave an amazing fact in this same teaching CD. She stated, “If a 25 year old put away $65 dollars every month, when they were 65, they’d have over 1 million dollars.”
6) Start planning for retirement EARLY
I am 26 years old, and believe it or not, I am already preparing for my retirement. Prior to meeting with a financial planner who came to visit my school where I teach, I always used to think, “I’ll start saving for retirement when I’m older….like in my 50′s.” Crazy, I know! However, after meeting with my financial planner, I have become more knowledgeable about things such as Roth IRA, 401Ks, and Life Insurance, things I thought I was too young to even begin thinking about. I will encourage all single women, to begin planning for these things. While we are young( and can still lock in some great rates for these things due to our age), let’s use wisdom. The Bible says that “wisdom is the principal thing”( Proverbs 4:7)
Ladies, let’s make the decision to be financially healthy before entering into a marital relationship. What kind of money advice would you like to share? What kind of creative things are you doing to get out of debt? Let’s help each other, girls!
Lindsey Meyer
October 10, 2011 at 2:24 AMLove it!!! Thank you for that powerful information and the great ideas!! As always another wonderfully written piece by Larissa!
Larissa
October 12, 2011 at 7:38 PMThank you so much, Lindsey! To God be the glory! So glad to hear that it was a blessing to you. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
Lovelie Daye
October 10, 2011 at 5:28 PMThank you for the wonderful tips. I struggle a lot with money and I’m not single. There are days where I’m very discouraged and I wish that I could just win the lottery although I don’t ever play. There are days I just want to say forget it. Apart from being a spender, a spontaneous spender that is, I have to stay indoors and away from all stores! I cry out to God to help me and I’m dying to save money.
Thank you again for the tips.
Larissa
October 12, 2011 at 7:54 PMDear Lovelie Daye,
My sister, please know that it will be “lovely day” in your financial life very soon! It blesses my heart to learn that this information was helpful to you. I would encourage you to not get discouraged over your finances. God desires for your to prosper and to live the abundant life in Jesus Christ. The important thing is to start somewhere. God will honor you as you take your first steps in getting financially stable.
I read that you describe yourself as a “spontaneous spender.” How long has this been a struggle for you? Sometimes, we find ourselves doing things that we may not be sure exactly why we do them. The next time you go shopping, one suggestion is to make a list of the things that you’re leaving the house to buy specifically. Then, on the days when you find yourself overspending, reevaluate the motive behind the spending: Did you go shopping on a day when you were you sad? Angry? Discouraged? Happy? Many times, some of our actions are a result of an emotional response, or an attempt to fill a void. Bring these things before God. Once you bring what the real issue is to God, He can help you and make you healthy and whole. You are MORE than a conqueror! May the Lord bless you!!
kelli
November 20, 2011 at 9:30 PMHi Larissa! I found your blog through chance and I love it! I am already married but I am definitely recommending your website and book to some of my great single friends.
Keep up the great work!