Let’s face it, money is important. Some of you say that it is not, but it is. If you are married and have a family you know that finances have a key role in your relationship and family. If you are not married, you still know how much finances affect your daily life. Why is money important? It is what provides your quality of life, it is what provides security. Many of us think of money as just money, but it is a resource. The way you spend that resource directly reflects upon your lifestyle right now, and it will determine the lifestyle of your future and future generations.

Money is very important. In fact you should look at it as a resource that God has put in your hands to manage. If you think of it as God’s and that you are managing His money, it changes the way you look at money. God has given you a life, talents, time, and money to manage. It is what you do with those resources that are important. Someone once said, “Show me your check register and I will show you what is important in your life.”

I am not saying that money is the center of life and that finances should be a huge burden. I am actually saying the opposite, financial success is really simple. Yes getting your finances under control can be tedious at first, but the rewards are worth it. It is about following simple principles, sticking to your budget, and making good choices.

Last year my wife and I took Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. If you have not taken the class, I urge you to find a place that is offering the class. You will learn more than just how to pay off your debt and the class more than pays for itself in your personal finances. You will learn sound financial principles that will dramatically change the way you handle your finances and life. In fact you can pretty much kiss financial arguments in your marriage good bye.

So here are some basic principles that we learned that can really help.

YOU NEED A BUDGET

Why do so many households run without a written budget? Yes, I know that it is not fun to sit down and write out what every penny is doing, but it is worth it. Knowing exactly how you are going to spend your paychecks before the month starts gives you a peace. If there is to much month at the end of the paycheck, then you know you have either an income problem or a spending problem. Both of those can be fixed. If you write down a budget you will begin to see where you are spending money, You will learn your habits and you will not be so stressed when those bills show up in your mailbox.

If you are married you need to have a budget meeting and figure out the budget together. If you make the budget you both must stick to it. This is such a valuable tool in the marriage. One, it removes financial stress and arguments. Two (most important), it opens up true communication within the marriage. You formulate a plan together, you begin to trust each other especially when you both adhere to the budget you made together.

MARRIED COUPLES SHOULD NOT HAVE SEPERATE ACCOUNTS

When you married your spouse you became one. One unit, one team, etc. You do not need separate accounts. I think that this just dooms a marriage. What is so important about having separate accounts? Is it trust? Are you hiding something? If those are the case you probably have more issues than finances.

You must trust each other and you must budget together. Husbands and wives do not need separate accounts. You need to put unity in your finances, remember that you are supposed to be on. This will continue to open up communication and build trust. Financial success will feed other areas of your relationship as well.

DEBT IS BAD! STAY AWAY FROM THE 4 LETTER WORD!

You probably think that debt is a part of life, but you still hate that 4 letter word. Don’t you hate going to the mailbox and seeing that Citibank has sent you a bill. Don’t you just love sending in that car payment? Student loans? Side note: Let me just say I hate Sallie Mae. It is absolutely horrible and draining to know that a majority of your income (“Your most powerful wealth building tool”-Dave Ramsey) is spoken for by your creditors before the paycheck ever hits the bank. If you hate debt and hate making those payments, why do you stay in debt?!?!?!

It is all a mindset and it is all what you believe. If you believe that you will always have a car payment, you will. If you believe that you will always be paying on that Sears card, you’re right. If you believe you are always going to stay in a dead end job, or better yet unemployed, you will! As a great financial philosopher once said, “Poor is a mindset, broke is I’m just passing through.” (Dave Ramsey). You can be debt free and you can pay those bills off and never have them again.

If you do not want debt ruling your life I highly suggest reading The Total Money Makeover and taking Financial Peace University. Get that 4 letter word out of your vocabulary for good.

DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH YOUR MONEY THAT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND

Too many of us fall victim to putting our money in investments and other things that we do not understand. There is a good chance that many of you believe Whole Life Insurance is a good thing. Of course if you researched Whole Life Insurance vs Term Life Insurance you would realize that Term is the better choice.

Some of you believe that putting your money in one stock is a good idea. Well we saw what happened last year in the stock market. . .that’s all I have to say about that. It is important to be diversified—mutual funds.

If you want to understand how to invest your money well, and if you want to understand it, I suggest looking up one of Dave Ramsey’s Endorsed Local Providers. These providers have a wealth of knowledge and the heart of a teacher. They will make sure you understand what you are doing with your resources before you invest. There are ELP’s for investments, real estate, insurance and tax services.

LIVE LIFE WITHIN YOUR MEANS

You have budgeted, so now you know how much is being spent and where it is being spent. You are learning to live within your means. Too many Americans try to keep up with the Jones’ and impress everyone, all the while they are drowning in debt. What may be a nice facade will probably look different once you scratch the surface.

The key is to live on less that you make. I know that is hard to take in for most of us, but it is true. That new Camaro may be very appealing to me, but it would put a huge strain on my marriage and life all because of a stupid car. Buying nice things is not bad and that is not my point. When you have budgeted, saved, lived within you means, then by all means buy some nice things.

My point is that you do not need a lot of money to be financially successful. It is living within your means and being content with what God has blessed you with. It is the responsible management of your valuable resources. I hope that you make a lot of money and I hope that you enjoy your work that brings that income.

We need to quit placing importance on material things and trying to maintain an expensive lifestyle. When you focus on God, your family, simple pleasures, etc., the need to impress that guy at the red light with your new BMW goes away. That need to live in the best neighborhood to impress your friends goes away.

GIVE, GIVE, GIVE

I believe one of the primary reasons that God blesses certain people with wealth is because of what they do with their money. Yes there are those out there that are wealthy and squander their wealth, but there are those who unselfishly give.

The giving lessons start early. When you get your finances under control you give back to your spouse, family, friends. It has an immediate impact with your spouse, you give peace and security to a marriage and family. You set an example for your kids, which will change the family tree for generations. When you wean your self from debt addiction and the dependence,  you eliminate fights about money and set the stage for financial success for your family and for generations to come. You have reshaped your family tree and will make an impact on this earth far beyond your lifespan.

When you have managed what you have been given and then God gives you more, it is important to be a good steward of that and help change other’s lives. Give like no one else, share what you have been given. There is a secret economy at play and it is God’s economy. Sometimes things will happen when you adhere to the principles of God’s economy and you will not be able to explain what happened, it was a gift that God expects you to use for His good.

“Live like no one else today so tomorrow you can live like no one else.” –Dave Ramsey

Yes this post may not be earth shattering. The principles are pretty simple and they are pretty easy to follow. The problem is that most of us do not follow them. I know that I preach Dave Ramsey, but my life and marriage was truly changed by the message that Dave Ramsey teaches. Yes his “Baby Steps” may be simple principles, but it’s the message of hope, the message that you have the ability to change your life and to turn your finances around. I invite you to check it out and join the revolution. . .