A Budget WILL save you!

In order to be successful in this economy, every family must stay on a budget. A budget is a plan for success. Without it you automatically have a plan for failure. The Bible teaches that a person is a fool who does not plan for the future. When I do financial seminars I always seem to have somebody come and tell me that a budget would not work for them. They will say something like this: “Budgets may work for some people, but a budget would not work for us. We already have more expense than our total income! There is nothing left to budget.”
This family NEEDS a budget worse than the family with money left over. A budget can effectively help lift you out of debt. Debt is a horrible thing that slowly destroys people’s lives. In Proverbs, the Bible says, “The borrower is the SLAVE of the lender.” Saint Paul in the New Testament, wisely admonishes people, “Owe no man anything.”
Marriage counselors are reporting that finances is the number one marital problem that destroys families. It is hard to believe that something as simple as a budget can be the “lifesaver” people need to save their financial futures and homes!
For a budget to work, IT HAS TO BECOME THE LAW OF THE HOUSE! It becomes the boss, much like a king of old. Nobody can go anyplace or buy anything without consulting the KING (budget). It is necessary to get every member of the family to buy into the idea and agree to work together to make it succeed. People will find it actually becomes fun and very self satisfying to make a budget work.
There are plenty of self helps out there for somebody to get as a guide that needs assistance in getting started. The main thing is to get started NOW!
Make a list of all the bills that are NON-DESCRETIONARY FIXED EXPENSE S. Make sure that you don’t put even one item on this list that isn’t an absolute need for survival. What is the total? How much money per month do you have left after deducting your absolute needs? The remainder is ALL YOU HAVE to pay for the remainder of your expenses. Now you list all the rest of your budget item amounts. Then comes the hardest part of the budget process—prioritizing the remainder of expenses. Sometimes some REAL SACRIFICES will have to be made, but you will find that you can actually survive without some of the things that you thought were absolute necessities. Don’t try to weasel out of this painful process. The most important thing during this time of making a budget is pray and ask God for his help!
In the Bible, James 1:2-5 says, “So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you are doing, pray to God, the Father. He loves to help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.”