There are seasons when I look at our checking account after the bills are paid and think, Okay…now what? There’s a little money left, but not enough to do everything I’d like to do. The emergency fund could use a little more. The car will eventually need repairs. The kids always seem to need something.…
Every time I hear a sermon about giving, my stomach tightens. Not because I don’t want to be generous. But because I immediately start doing math. I’d love to tithe. I really would. But when giving ten percent means wondering how we’ll pay the electric bill, put gas in the car, or buy groceries, the…
There was a season where I avoided looking at our numbers. Which, ironically, was the exact season I needed to be looking at them the most. We had dropped down to one income, and everything felt tight. A good portion of our bills were on autopay—because they had to be—and they all seemed to hit…
There’s a difference between talking about money… and actually living through a hard financial season. It’s one thing to read budgeting tips.It’s another thing entirely to sit at your kitchen table, staring at your bank account, trying to figure out how everything is going to stretch. I’ve been there. Not just as a mom—but as…
Some seasons of life feel financially tight in ways we never expected. Income changes. Expenses rise. Unexpected bills show up at the worst possible moment. Suddenly the budget that once felt manageable now feels heavy. Budgeting feels very different when money is tight. Instead of planning for goals or savings, you find yourself stretching every…
Money has a strange way of taking on more power in our lives than it was ever meant to have. For some of us, money becomes the thing we constantly worry about. We check our bank accounts anxiously, run numbers over and over in our minds, and feel a knot in our stomach whenever a…
There are seasons in life when finances don’t feel like numbers on a spreadsheet. They feel like giants. Debt that won’t go away.Bills that keep piling up.Paychecks that disappear before the week is over. And sometimes the hardest part isn’t the numbers themselves. It’s the voice in your head whispering, “You should have done better.”…
On the surface, budgeting looks simple. Write down your income.List your expenses.Make a plan for your money. But sometimes the hardest part of budgeting isn’t the math. It’s opening the numbers in the first place. Earlier this year, I found myself completely avoiding our finances. Not because I didn’t know how to manage them, but…
There was a time when our finances felt predictable. We used to sit down and plan our income weeks — sometimes months — in advance. We could see what was coming. Bills were covered ahead of time. Occasionally, we even had a small surplus sitting there at the end of the week. There was a…
There are seasons in life when nothing seems to be moving forward financially. The bills are paid — but barely.The account isn’t overdrafting — but there’s no cushion.The side business exists — but it isn’t growing the way you hoped. You are not drowning, but you are treading water. And treading water is exhausting. Financial…