"Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, making the very most of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)
In this chapter Paul was providing encouragement to have a spiritual sensitivity to how we spend our time. As we turn the page into 2024, I want to show how we can apply this verse to being wise stewards with our finances.
Regarding your finances, think of how each segment - each minute or hour of your time generally fits into one of these slots:
Making money
Spending money
Saving money
There are segments where none of the above are occurring, however technically we are always spending money, because of commitments to certain bills like utilities where the "meter is running" every minute.
In the first time slot of making money, we can make the most of the time as we work unto the Lord. In Colossians 3, Paul wrote "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily from the soul, as something done for the Lord and not for men." Putting this verse into action will be a witness for others unto God, bring success to your efforts, return to bless you, and will transform how you view your workweek.
For a deeper look into this topic, click on the Archives section to the September 2021 post titled "For The Lord" or copy and paste the string below to view:
https://broomfieldassemblyfinancialfitness.blogspot.com/2021/09/for-lord.html
In the second time slot, when we are in the actual act of spending money, this is when it will prove to be fruitful if we take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. As in any area, God's Holy Spirit can provide divine direction for you in a moment. You can lean on Him to ask "should I buy/not buy this?", or "what choice should I make among several options?".
The time you are doing this will prove fruitful because it is written "the desires of the flesh are opposed to the Spirit". The flesh desires to move quickly and not consider the consequences. If we listen to the Holy Spirit, He knows exactly what timing is right for you personally along with all of the factors - those seen and unseen. The Word tells us we will be led forth with peace... the Holy Spirit will provide the peace you are making the right decision. If we do not follow the Spirit, we'll be more apt to follow our flesh in the marketplaces.
And lastly, the time slot of saving money. This is really not when you could be physically giving money to a teller to put into your account. This is making valuable use of your time before you make a purchase.
Consider how when at your work, you make $______ per hour. If you were to take... in some cases just a minute or two, and identify a way to spend less on a purchase you were going to make anyway, that you've saved that money. One quick example of this math: if you utilized the app/website of gasbuddy.com for one minute (which is all it takes) and located a nearby station that sold gas for 10 cents less and you put 10 gallons in your car, you saved $1.00. That one minute translated to the rate of $60/hour for your time. The beauty of this example is because it is a repeat purchase, the knowledge gained and savings realized continues - you can just check on current conditions every so often.
We live in the greatest era to be informed consumers and not waste money, as it has never been easier to compare pricing, features and reviews, using your phone or computer.
How about dining out? As you know it is becoming increasingly expensive. One way to use your time is to sign up for rewards online at your preferred restaurants. They will routinely send you offers to save money, with many including birthday meals and desserts (valid for a few weeks) annually. One more calculated real-life example: I took two minutes and signed up at a local restaurant, received a free birthday entree reward valid for a few weeks around the actual birthday and saved $20. That two minutes translated out to a rate of $600/hour for my time!
Another approach is to use your time to explore pre-owned options for certain items. eBay, Poshmark, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace are among the many sites worth checking out to see if what you're considering buying is available at a much lower price. I can tell you that from my full-time employment working directly with eBay, they utilize their years of experience and take careful measures to make sure the buyer receives exactly what they were expecting, and will remedy any situation that arises to see that you are satisfied. Locally, Craiglist is another viable platform for certain types of items.
One often neglected area of locating savings is with insurance. Take about one hour to do two things. Look at your deductibles and consider raising them to save on your bill. Insurance is best used to protect against the large and overwhelming event, not for every small occurrence, which makes it expensive. Then contact different providers and see what they can offer for savings while maintaining the coverage you feel is needed. If this one hour nets you a savings of even $100 it will have been very worthwhile and you will see the savings continue year after year.
As many ways and places there are today to spend money, there are as many ways available to us to save money on those purchases if we only take the time.
So bring into 2024 these ways to use our time - working unto the Lord, listening to the Holy Spirit and gaining knowledge for wise purchases. And take with you this encouraging verse also from the fifth chapter of Ephesians:
For once you were darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
