Generous Life Journey: Gunner Johnson

Lifestyle adjustments when money is tight:

Generous Life Journey, Gunner Johnson, p49

There are really only three options of what can be done when money is tight: 

1. Make more money. Get a second job, work more hours. This is not actually the most efficient response because you tend to lose thirty to thirty-five percent of the extra money. You pay more taxes, plus there's additional wear-and-tear on your cars and your clothing, as well as other expenses. Think also about how it affects your family and personal relationships.
2. Spend less. This is the most efficient thing you can do. Look at where your money is going. You will find some place to cut spending.
3. Sell stuff. This is not always the most efficient way to balance your budget because it frequently is only a one-time thing. Also, you may need the item down the road and it could be more expensive to replace.

 Story on the beauty of generosity

Generous Life Journey, Gunner Johnson, p48

Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting this whole generosity thing right in my own family. Am I setting the right example? Am I having a positive impact? And then God shows me something in my kids.

It was Christmas time, and we stopped at a Taco Bueno with the kids. There was an older woman working there, and we could see from her countenance and demeanour, something was not right. I asked her how she was doing.She told us she was doing okay. She'd lost her husband a couple of years earlier and never had to work outside the home before. She was working now to earn some extra Christmas money. She was struggling and wanted to bless her kids for Christmas. I offered to pray for her, but she declined and wandered on.

Our ten year old daughter said she wanted to give the woman all her money. she had saved $100 to buy a special bird. We agreed with her decision. As we headed home to get her money, the six year old and thirteen year old said they wanted to give too.

I told me wife we needed to stop by the bank because I wanted to be part of this as well.

The kids really cleaned out everything for her. they included Bible bucks and gift cards they'd received along with cash.

We returned to the Taco Bueno and sent the kids in alone to give her the money. this was their idea, and we wanted them to experience the fullness of what they were doing. They ran in and said to the woman, 'Jesus wants to bless you. they gave her the envelope and ran off. They didn't know what else to do.As we drove around the restaurant to leave, we glanced in the window, and the woman was sobbing.

And I thought, 'yeah we're getting it right in this area for our kids.' This is the heart the Father wants to see in his people.

Budgeting resources

• YNAB (youneedabudget.com), 
• MINT (mint.com), 
• Quicken spreadsheets or a combination of several.

Financial categories:

The struggling
The stable
The solid
The surplassed