June 9 - Hebrews 13:5

Keep your life free from love of money,

and be content with what you have

Hebrews 13:5

^ESV

Do you remember the old saying about appetites? My eyes were bigger than my stomach!

That's the way it is with money nowadays. Our eyes (and desires) are bigger than our wallet.

Yes, another common problem in marriage is money.

At it's core, money is mainly a communication problem. Yes, one of you is more of a spender and the other is more of a saver. Communication-wise, you need to be faithful enough -- faithful as a steward of your money and faithful to your vows as husband and wife -- to decide together on how to spend.

Mary Louise and I settled on a personal allowance.

After all the bills were budgeted -- mortgage, food, transportation, etc. -- and after we gave to the church and put some in savings, only then did we get an allowance.

It's funny. When our kids were teens, one of the things we budgeted was their allowance. Often ... their allowance (their discretionary spending) exceeded ours.

We had to define happiness apart from things. Responsibility and raising children of character trumped the momentary purchasing of "happiness."

Isn't that sometimes why we buy things? It's an anti-depressant. New stuff makes us feel better.

It's a drug. Alcohol, for example, is chemically a depressant -- a depressant with a kick! It's one step up (the buzz) and then, later, two steps down (the hangover). Spending is like that. Just remember, though, that the short-term buzz is never worth the long-term hangover of debt and financial instability.

The key is communication.

·       It is mutual priority-setting ... and then cooperative budget setting.

·       It is planning to save.

·       It is the spiritual trust to give generously.

·       It is refusing to borrow. (It's a game that banks have rigged so that they win. Which means that it is a game rigged for you to lose.) It is budgeting an allowance. (We like using cash, because when it's gone, it's gone.) It's important to make an allowance for fun ... and to do it cooperatively within your means.

Question: Rate yourselves on how wisely you do each of these steps. Share this with your beloved. And then communicate ... and budget together.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who feels like

a teenager when he gets

his monthly allowance

(I'm free and responsible

and a joyful kid again)