Domestically-Money Management



Home economics is not only about how to cook, sew, needle work, laundry and child rearing, it is also about finances and how to be a good steward of the money the Lord has provided to you. This is a principal that all children should be taught at a young age. Setting spending limits, money management, savings, tithing, investing these are all areas of finance that lay the foundation for your kids view of money. Will your kids grow up into adults that can responsibly and biblical handle money or will they grow up and live a life of debt? When I htink of money I cannot help but think of an old Bullet Boys song For the Love of Money (I am telling my age I know), in this song he talks about people lying, cheating, stealing, killing all for the love of money and sadly in our society it is to true and hits the mark.

How do our kids learn to manage money?
At school?
By watching TV?
By song?
From their friends?
By their own mistakes?
 From watching their parents manage their money?

Maybe you are thinking the following:

-I don't know how to start the discussion about money with my kids. I am not equipped.
-My own finances are a mess. How can I teach my kids about something even I don't know about yet?
-I don't have the time

I'll tackle all these excuses at once. Let's face it, everyone of them is an excuse, a cop out. Harsh I know, but sometimes we all need it. What can be more important than teaching your kids to be responsibly with money? How to handle it responsibility and spend it responsibly?

My parents never taught me how to handle money and never discussed finances with me and as a result I now live in debt. Student debt, credit card debt, medical debt-debt and it bites. I refuse to make these mistakes with my kids. 

Luckily, a few years back I attended the Dave Ramsey Financial Institute and it has turned my life around. Do I still have debt-yes, its a long process to get rid of it once you have it and mine is slowly going down. Is my credit score perfect-far from it, but in time it will be. I have a passion for teaching my kids not to repeat the mistakes I made. They see how I have suffered because of the them and in return my family has suffered right along with me. What I learned though is changing my life and my kids lives in return. We are learning together and holding each other accountable along the way. Does it bother for my 13 year old to tell me I am going outside my budget? Yes, of course, but I know her heart is in the right place and lets face it, if she noticing it, it must be pretty bad so how can I complain really?

The hardest thing for me was cutting up my credit cards and making a monthyl budget down to the last cent in my hand. Then realizing i did not have enough money to cover my budget was a bigger slap. We had to cut back, cut out and learn to live a new, differnt, sometimes uncomfortable lifestyle to fit single parent hood with 3 kids. Altough it has been a journey it has been  ajourney that has brought much fruit to our lives.

Links:
Dave Ramsey
PBS kids Game

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Come and see how others bloggers are celebrating domestically!
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