Better to Give than to Receive

As we wrap up 2019, I am reminded of how grateful and thankful I am of all we have been blessed with, especially in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. One of the things we committed to earlier on this year was to give 10% of our income to support local missions that were near and dear to our heart. Our church, Soles for Jesus, Fort Wilderness, Compassion International, and K-Love. When we started this contest and made drastic changes to our budget to be able to meet our financial goals by the end of the year, it was proposed that we transfer that giving towards our savings. It was a unanimous decision that we wanted to continue supporting the ministries even though, yes, it would have increased our savings by quite a bit. Our goal the entire journey was to be able to pay off our debts to free us up financially so that we could give even more after Project Money. Even though we continued to give, we were still able to pay off our main debt goal, pay cash for two vacations and Christmas, double our 401K giving, pay towards our son’s college tuition, and keep our credit card debt at $0 for the entire seven months. In order to do this though, we had to set a major variable expense budget and stick to it. We cut out cable, Sling, gym memberships, extra dining out, hair/nails, and many other things to be able to fit within a tight budget. If you haven’t already done so, consider giving a financial, year-end gift to your favorite local mission, whether that’s a local pet shelter, supporting a family in need, blessing a family with a home-cooked meal, or even just giving the gift of your time to serve somewhere. Even if it’s a small gift, it will bless you to give. If you have kids, get them involved as well. It’s a great thing for them too to learn the art of blessing others.