Tag: stress

The Blessing of Being Paycheck to Paycheck This Christmas

by timhowington, posted in Budgeting, Crisis, debt, Fear/Anxiety, paycheck to paycheck

by Tim Howington

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121

I made a $500 mistake in my checkbook. Not good.  At Christmas.  Really not good. 

I have spent the morning trying to figure out what I did and unfortunately, I found it.  I screwed up.  Just didn’t write a couple of expenses down in my checkbook. Mistakes like this can put the screws to what is looking like a tight Christmas to begin with.  I have to admit, my gut reaction is to panic.  But then I remember- this is not the first time that God has gotten me out of a tight jam.  This is definitely not my first rodeo, nor will it be my last.

Continue reading “The Blessing of Being Paycheck to Paycheck This Christmas” →

7 Financial Ideas for Weathering a Crisis- Intro

by timhowington, posted in Basic Money Management, Budgeting, Crisis

7 Financial ideas for a Crisis-cover fbCrisis 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.

If you happen upon this article at a later time- the crisis you may be experiencing may not be as life altering as a pandemic, but a crisis is a crisis no matter the cause.

I assume that the reason that you are checking out this booklet is that you or someone you know is experiencing some kind of financial challenge.  The content contained here is very basic and is meant to be a quick reminder of how to manage your finances in a crisis.

Our ministry has coached hundreds of families through many difficult situations.  From sudden job loss, divorce, medical emergencies, transitions and the like. We find that there are few basic things that you need to be working through and evaluating.  That is the purpose and content of this study.  We want to help you work through 7 Financial Ideas for Weathering a Crisis.

We don’t know what kind of problem you are going through.  But we are sorry you are where you are, and we do hope that this exercise will be helpful.  If you would like to talk to a Freedom 5:one Financial Coach go to our website (www.freedom5one.com) and contact us.  We would love to help.

Click here to download this on our Financial Hotline.

Survival Budget

by timhowington, posted in Crisis, How to Manage Yourself Book, Money

survival budget-fb

If you are in a financially difficult time and  would like to have us put together a simple spending plan for you click here to fill out our Survival Budget survey.  Our coaches will send your plan back to you in 2-3 business days.

This is found on the Freedom 5:one Hotline.  Let us know if we can help!

The Blessings of Daily Bread- Intro

by timhowington, posted in Contentment, Money, Poor, Stress

naanI would not have made a very good Israelite in the days of Manna.  You remember those right?  The nation of Israel had recently exited from Egypt under the strong arm of the Lord and had left the Egyptians in complete disarray.  The victorious nation with heads held high would soon war with the nations of the promised land and live in a land full of milk and honey or said another way- a land so blessed that they would have everything they needed and more.  The plentiful vision of the land to which they were heading set up an expectation that would come to haunt them for the next 40 years or so.  As you probably know they would receive the Law of God in the middle of a Golden-Calf revolt.  Then they would “chicken out” at the border of the Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea.  Because of their lack of faith, they would spend the next 40 years wandering through the wilderness.  How disappointing! Continue reading “The Blessings of Daily Bread- Intro” →

Manna Living

by timhowington, posted in Budgeting, Contentment

I am in the middle of processing payroll and about to pay bills. Looks like it is going to be a MANNA month. What is a Manna month you ask? A manna month is one in which the Lord is providing exactly what we need and no more. On the surface that sounds great but the reality is that I prefer a SURPLUS month. I like to look at my payroll account and my savings account and see a lot left over. And yet it seems that we have more months that are “manna” than “surplus” which seems to be the Lord’s preference. Let me backfill the Manna part for you. Continue reading “Manna Living” →

Signs of a Healthy Financial System: Do You Have a Good Plan?

by timhowington, posted in Basic Money Management, Budgeting, Marriage, Spending Plan

We all grow up dreaming of a Wonderful Life. Family and friends who love us. Good job. Nice house. Plenty of food. Enough money to take care of our needs and even some of our wants. When I got married one of my friends was asked to give us marriage advice. His advice was classic. “Tim, give Terri everything she wants.” “Terri, only want what you need.” I can still remember his wife catcalling from the background about his bad advice. But, behind his playful banter was a principle. And the principle is this; for a family to be successful the family has to be on the same page and have a plan. Particularly in the area of money. Nothing will challenge a marriage more than how to manage the family resources. Continue reading “Signs of a Healthy Financial System: Do You Have a Good Plan?” →

Free Book

by timhowington, posted in Stress

how to manage yourself when there is no money to manageFor a limited time, we are offering a free copy of Tim Howington’s best selling book How to Manage Yourself when there is No Money to Manage.  We say best selling tongue in cheek since Tim has written two books and this one has sold more than the other.  Seriously though, this book is geared for families who are dealing with a difficult financial situation and are looking for a Biblical way to manage their hearts in a stressful time.  It is also available at Amazon if you prefer to read on your kindle. Continue reading “Free Book” →

Is Your God Big Enough for Your Money Troubles?

by timhowington, posted in debt, Money, Stress

Last night my son exposed me to the biggest star that science has discovered to date. The name of the star is VY Canis Majoris. Before I begin to spew my Astronomical ignorance or steal the thunder from the video we have embedded, let me just say that this star is huge. Even the name, Canis (dog) Majoris (big), implies the girth of this big dog star. The picture shows its size as compared to the earth’s orbit around the sun. I see this and all of a sudden I am struck with the immensity of our God and the finiteness of myself. Our God literally spoke a word and the universe came into play including Canis Majoris. Continue reading “Is Your God Big Enough for Your Money Troubles?” →