Budgets and Faith

I live on a minimum wage income.

Let that sink in.

I'm raising 6 kids on minimum wage,

but mostly, I'm raising them on faith.

 

Budgeting is essential. Faith is fundamental.

 

My budgeting system may be different than most people, so here is how budgeting is done in our home.

 

I make a list of our monthly expenses and a few "extras", also known as things off the "waiting list."

 

Once I have a list of WHO gets money from me for the month, I have to determine how much.

 

Some things that's easy: rent, bank fees, insurance are fixed amounts. Electric, water and natural gas are variable but I can estimate on past usage. Gas and animal expenses are some what flexible, so I can play with those numbers depending on where I want to go and how much work I want to do.

 

Then I figure out the cost of my extras and sometimes change or eliminate which one or ones will happen for the month.

 

Sometimes I need to play with the numbers a little to make everything happen and stay under my "magic number" (the average of my income over the last 8 months.)

 

The last step is the most important, I pray.

I look over that paper and tell the Lord I need his help.

I don't know where it's all coming from but HE does!

 

I don't stress over the budget, I have faith.

My God who leave me, he'll be there no matter how dark (or red) that budget looks.

 

He frequently rewards that faith.

Most recently it was the expense of sending my two oldest to camp this summer.

$100 is not a lot, but I wasn't sure where I was getting that money.

My "waiting list" is long and some of it has been there for awhile (at this point I should sell my watch instead of buying a battery!)

I signed them up, added it to the budget and PRAYED.

 

A little over a week later, I was told if I wanted to send them to camp that their way was paid.

 

I stepped out in faith, and God stepped up to the plate.

That is how it works.

He doesn't let us step out over a cliff,

he's always watching and guiding us!