here’s one thing i often forget about money management: the whole point of financial freedom is to be free.

i’m going to use a common youth group analogy to help explain this one.

every path has two ditches, right? so the path of financial freedom is the same.

one ditch is the party ditch. the one you fall into while you spend more money than you have on things you don’t even need. that’s the ditch that people like me avoid at all costs. what can i say, i’ve never been a partier.

but the other ditch traps you in the same way that all ditches do, it just feels a little more right as you’re falling in. if you fall into this ditch, you may not have debt. you may have a large savings account. you may, by all evidence, be financial “free.”

i fall into the latter ditch. and speaking directly from the tightwad ditch [as i affectionately call it] it’s still quite ditchy.

there are days when i don’t feel free at all. i feel bogged down by trying to figure out how every last penny can contribute to our savings account. i feel tired of compulsively checking my bank account and updating my check register and wondering why nothing has changed in the last hour. i get so easily obsessed with our finances that our budget sheet is almost constantly up on my computer. it’s a dark, damp ditch that isn’t the least bit encouraging or freeing.

and then i remember what i always forget. i remember that it’s pointless to try. so. hard. at this whole staying out of debt thing and this being wise with money thing if i’m just going to fall into the tightwad ditch. if i’m constantly stressed or obsessed with the bottom line, that isn’t freedom.

i think there are physical reasons to be stressed about money, like not having enough to pay your bills each month. but i’ve never experienced that, so i’m pretty sure the cause for my stress is completely mental. and therefore, i’m completely mental. i will drive myself crazy if i don’t lighten up on myself.

jeez, this sure turned into a rant to myself, so i guess i’ll just go with it:

note to self: don’t be such a tightwad.

i know i probably sound like a know-it-all about money stuff at this point. just to be clear, i don’t know it all. i’m just a huge nerd.

having said that, if i know anything about money management, it’s this: passion is a money pit.

this fact is neither good nor bad, just impenetrably true.

let me tell you about my husband. he loves playing the bass guitar. music in general is one of his greatest passions. can you guess what he spends money on?

our house is filled with records, cds, and musical instruments of all sorts. it’s fantastic. it’s not bad that bryan is passionate about music-it’s a quality i’d love for our children to inherit from him. and it’s certainly not a bad thing that we have a bunch of music-related “stuff” in our house. some (read: me) might call it junk or clutter, but not bryan. to bryan, it’s the most precious stuff he owns.

thus, in our family, music is a money pit.

i certainly have my own vices as well. and between the two of us, we’ve come up with some shared passions. these passions, in particular, are influenced by this money pit truth. in other words, we’ve considered the “money pits” that are most valuable and that we want to invest in the most.

so what are our passions?

parenthood.
i’ve always wanted to be a mom. and i’ve known for a while that when that day comes, i want to stay home with our children. we want to provide for our children all that they need. everyone knows that kids cost money and a lot of it. but it’s a worthwhile money pit.

reaching the world with the gospel. 
this is an area where we are tested to put our money where our mouth is often. while we don’t have any particular plans to move overseas, we know that God could put this in our future. we want to be available and ready to go if/when God asks us to and we want to support those who do have plans to go overseas. this is a money pit we never want to lose sight of-we always want to be passionate about the work that God is going.

investing in our community.
sometimes it’s throwing a party, sometimes it’s providing for someone in need, and sometimes it’s the simple act of investing in our local church. we don’t want to forget about those near and dear to us, and investing financially is a great way to stay connected.

being a light.
sorry for the small soapbox i’m about to step on, but has anyone noticed how cheap christians can be? bryan and i always want to be open-handed with our money. we want to pay our bills on time, give good tips to waiters, and pay a fair price for services or goods. we don’t want to be known for always asking favors or taking everything we can get. this can be a struggle for me especially as “frugal” can quickly turn into “cheap.”

what are you passionate about? is it a worthwhile money pit?

the title of this post is pretty self-explanatory. this is one of our highest goals (second to giving) and probably will be for most of our lives.

i want to start out by saying that paying off debt can be addicting. staying out of debt can be just as addicting. it’s amazingly fun to see such momentum, to feel so much relief, and to feel so free from the bondage of debt.

i don’t know about you, but these feelings of relief or momentum can cause problems for my heart. it causes me to question: would i rather give to someone in need…or fill our tuition fund? 

the problem is, neither one of those things is a wrong choice. it’s certainly wise to plan for expenses and try to stay out of debt. and it’s definitely within reason to contribute a donation to someone in need. it begs the question, how do we choose? my head would choose the savings account every time. often, my heart would as well.

bryan and i have come to the conclusion that we are not going to be successful in staying out of debt unless we’re committed to generosity first.

“honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” -proverbs 3:9-10

when we give to the Lord first, He fills us up. this principle is not just true with finances, but it is true in every aspect of being a follower of Jesus. He loves for us to lay ourselves at His feet and let Him work through us, not in spite of us. we have personally found this to be true in our lives. when we are generous, which is only because of God’s work in our lives, we feel blessed by God. this is not a blog promising unending financial blessing from God, or even any kind of financial blessing from God. all i’m saying, is that God always seems to meet our needs, especially when we give.

while we are always striving to stay out of debt, we simply won’t consider taking away from our tithe or saying no to a support letter just because we want to lower our debt. it’s just too tempting to be a good idea. : )

goals to stay out of debt in 2011-2012

• pay off $5,500 student loan as quickly as possible, preferably before interest accrues
• increase our mortgage payment
• save cash for a second car
• save 6 months of living expenses in an emergency fund