16/06/2022
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐๐โ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐
Are you being forced to live on less financially because an economic crisis has threatened your livelihood? Pandemics, natural disasters, political turmoil, and armed conflicts can quickly disrupt the economy. While a sudden loss of income can be stressful, practical steps based on the wisdom found in the Bible can help you live on less money.
1. ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: โ๐ผ โ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ . . . โ๐๐ค ๐ก๐ โ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ โ๐๐ค ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ๐๐ข๐ก.โโPhilippians 4:12.
Even though you will have less money than before, you can learn to adapt to your new financial circumstances. The sooner you accept the reality of your situation and begin adjusting, the better you and your family will be able to cope.
Learn about government or humanitarian assistance that may now be available to you. Act quickly, since such programs often give candidates a limited time to apply for aid.
2. ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ญ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ.
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: โ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ก๐๐๐, ๐๐ข๐ก ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐ก ๐กโ๐๐๐ข๐โ ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐ .โโProverbs 15:22.
Discuss the situation with your spouse and children. With good communication, you can help everyone in the family understand and support changes that might be needed. And when everyone works together to be frugal and avoid wastefulness, your funds will go further.
3. ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ญ.
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: โ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐โโLuke 14:28.
When you are forced to live on less, it is more important than ever to know where all your money goes. Create a budget by first listing your expected monthly income based on your new situation. Next, itemize your current monthly expenses and spending habits, even though you know these must change. Try to include in your monthly expenses a set amount of money that you want to save for unexpected expenses or emergencies.
๐ป๐๐: When tracking your expenses, do not forget to include smaller purchases. You may be surprised at how much these add up over time. For example, after tracking his expenses, one man realized that every year he was spending several hundred dollars on chewing gum!
4. ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ.
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: โ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ก ๐กโ๐๐๐๐ .โโPhilippians 1:10.
Compare your income with your expenses, and identify what you can eliminate or reduce so that you can keep within your reduced income. Examine the following areas:
๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ. If you own more than one vehicle, could you sell one? If you own a luxury model, could you switch to a more economical one? Could you use public transportation or a bicycle and do without a vehicle altogether?
๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ. Can you cancel, at least for a time, paid subscriptions to streaming, satellite, or cable TV services? Can you find lower-cost alternatives? For example, your local library may lend movies, e-books, and audiobooks without charge.
๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐๐จ. Discuss as a family how to reduce on water, electricity, and fuel costs. Turning off lights and taking shorter showers may seem insignificant, but such habits can help save money.
๐๐ค๐ค๐. Avoid eating out at restaurants. Instead, cook meals at home. Plan your meals, buy and cook in bulk when possible, and reuse leftovers. Make a list before you go shopping to avoid making impulse purchases. Shop for fresh foods that are in season, which are usually less expensive. Avoid purchasing junk food. Consider planting a vegetable garden.
๐พ๐ก๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐. Purchase items only when you need to replace those that are worn out, not to stay in fashion. Look for end-of-season sales or items in good condition in thrift or secondhand stores. Line-dry clothing if the weather and your circumstances permit; this will save the utility costs of using the clothes dryer.
๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐๐ช๐ง๐๐๐๐จ๐๐จ. Before you buy something, ask yourself: โCan I afford it? Do I really need it?โ Can you delay upgrading or replacing appliances, electronic devices, or vehicles? On the other hand, can you sell items that you no longer use or need? Doing so can help you simplify and add to your income.
๐ป๐๐: When your income is abruptly reduced, you may find added incentive to quit habits that are harmful and expensive, such as to***co use, gambling, or alcohol abuse. Making such adjustments will not only help your finances but also improve the quality of your life.
5. ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ.
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: โ๐ป๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.โโMatthew 5:3.
The Bible offers this balanced approach: โ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐๐๐, ๐๐ข๐ก ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ : ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐.โ (Ecclesiastes 7:12) Such wisdom is found in the Bible, and many people have found that applying its guidance helps them to avoid excessive anxiety about financial matters. โMatthew 6:31, 32.
You can reach out to me, if you want to learn more on how the Bible discusses the topic below:
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ฎ
