Today’s principle of focus is on Sensibility
Today’s Positive Affirmation and Encouraging Words to Live By:
“I always make prosperous financial decisions.”
Scripture Reference: Proverbs 31:16
Think on this: While the scripture states “She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” It could just as easily read: “Those who are wise will think twice before spending their money. When they do, they buy what they need and it profits them, not diminishes them.”
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. – 3 John 1:2
ON A SCALE OF 1-10… (10 being the highest most confident in your sensibility) Write down on a piece of paper where you see yourself in the area of common senses. How sensible do you feel you are?
Today’s focus is on sensibility and spending. Earlier we talked about financial wisdom and the impact wise prioritized spending has on our ability to stay debt free. When I was little I can remember my Grandmother making bread from scratch. I can remember watching as she tirelessly kneaded the dough and buttered the loaves. Bread baking when I was a child was cheap and resourceful. Today however, with bread being as affordable as it is, we don’t have to make our own bread – but we do need to understand the thinking behind the action of baking homemade bread.
Being resourceful and using the items you have is a focus today. Don’t be too hasty in throwing out yesterday’s leftover chicken. Try to make something else with the meat if you can. Today we will do our best to be resourceful and instead of buying something new and made by someone else, today we will try create something we need out of something we already have. When we lived in Oregon we once had neighbors who never ate leftovers. I thought to myself, Wow! What they are missing, and how expensive!
Homemade bread bakers are baking it for two reasons, cost and quality. How many times have you walked into the grocery store and picked up a meal that was already prepared, only to realize that it wasn’t very good? You think to yourself that perhaps with a little bit more of an effort you could have been more creative and your food could have been tastier. Today is the day you get to do better!
Even the most horrible cooks can take a class and learn the basics of cooking. Working with your hands will also give you a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Any time manufacturing is involved the cost of goods increases dramatically. Even if the bread at the store is only $3.00 a loaf, you aren’t just paying for the bread, but for the cost to make it, the advertising, their profit margin, the packaging, and the distribution as well. In all reality, the loaf of bread cost less than a dollar to make. When you mix yeast, flour, butter, and water, you get bread. If you had the time and decided to make your own bread, it could be more affordable than the $3.00+ a loaf at the store.
Financial sensibility says that money is too valuable to waste.
So begin your shopping day today with tomorrow in the forefront of your mind. Resourcefulness is a key factor in being sensible. Does this purchase make sense? Will I regret this decision in the up coming years?
If you look at your purchases through the realm of the long-term impact on your finances, you will begin to save yourself time and money. Sometimes cheap things aren’t the most sensible. As a matter of fact, quality most often out-performs quantity. Our 10 year-old Mercedes Benz has proven this to be true, out lasting any of our cheaper newer cars. Financial sensibility says that money is too valuable to waste.
Spending money is a good thing to do and it is a necessary part of life. Money has no spiritual value in the Kingdom of God. Just as cars or houses do not define us, neither do the dollars in our bank account. The main purpose of money is merely to purchase things that we need, in order to live, and to invest in spreading the gospel. Everything else is just an added blessing!
Be sensible this week when you go shopping, pay bills, or eat out. Consider how many different uses the product that you are about to buy can have. Can you use it more than once? Can it be made into something else? Can you freeze what is left over? Asking yourself these types of questions will help you to make wise purchases and just might save you some valuable “dough”.
Suggested Reading and Potential Resources:
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living By: Dale Carnegie
Learn how to put aside the cares of the day and how to pace your life so that you are able to stop worrying and start living, today!
Out of the Black Shadows By: Stephen Lungu
This heart-wrenching biography will help you to focus on what is really important in life. It is the emotional true story of a boy who was born in Zimbabwe and was forced to raise himself from the time he was just 7 years old. Abandoned by his mother and father, his triumphs are really remarkable. You’ll laugh, and cry, but mostly you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book! His very life story is an outline in resourcefulness.
Today’s Key Take Away:
• Think before you buy. How can I be more resourceful? Does this item/s have a purpose greater than just to be used for what I want? Your money will begin to work for you, when you consider how it is spent.
Today’s Reflection: What did I learn about myself? Today, while you were out did you think twice? Did you think of the what and the why? Did you feel led to think about investing long term vs. short term in your spending?
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