The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty- Proverbs 21:5
A few years ago, Gallup released a poll that said one in three Americans prepare a detailed household budget. When you compare that with a similar stat that says that 70% of us are living paycheck to paycheck it is painfully obvious that most of us are flying blind. Is it any surprise that the financial stress in our culture is palatable?
One of the key components of being well managed in your finances is to have a written working budget. We say that not just because we like budget (though we do like budgets), but because year after year we sit down with families who are working through the consequence of not having a firm handle of where their money is going? Consequences like
- Financial stress
- Arguments with loved ones
- Thwarted goals
- Negative health issues
- Fear
- Anger with God
- Frustration with Employers
- Low self esteem
- Confusion
We have created a short online class to talk through some key ideas about managing your personal finances. The class is FREE. Click 
Crisis come in all shapes and sizes. As I write this, the whole world is experiencing the Coronavirus Pandemic. We are all huddled at home watching the news trying to figure out when the government is going to give us the all clear. In this particular crisis we are all struggling with the vulnerability of our health and our finances.
This time of the year many of us are evaluating our generosity goals for the year. People who study generosity say that
It happens every year. I see the pristine Christmas scene and the doting husband who takes his unsuspecting wife outside with her hands over her eyes and surprises her with a new car. You know the one with the big red bow on top. And I daydream about replacing my wife’s 2007 Corolla and she thinks that I am the most wonderful husband ever. Until this year… 
I wasn’t sure if he was going to have a nervous breakdown right there at my desk or not. He kept saying over and over, “But they said that I could afford it.” His wife looked at me with pleading eyes to comfort him as she went in the other room to tend to their children. Finally, I mustered the courage to tell him what the numbers said. As gently as I could, I told him, “Buddy, I don’t care what they told you. Your housing expenses are a 42% of your income and the reason you are in my office today is YOU HAVE TOO MUCH HOUSE.” He left shortly thereafter and I never saw him again. He had gained the missing piece of the puzzle. 
My (Tim) wife and I have been married for over 30 years. And despite all her great strengths (which are many by the way) she struggles in the area of staying on budget in our household budget- or so it would seem. A few years ago, she returned from the grocery store and I could tell as she walked in the house that she was overbudget yet again. For 20 years we have had the same issue- she buys groceries, she overspends, I get frustrated, she feels bad, I look at that pretty girl who serves our family so faithfully and I overlook the overspending and we move on. Until that fateful Saturday. 
Freedom 5:one Blog 