Death by Budget - I Do Every Day - February 4

Death by Budget
By Karen Turcotte

“You’re not going to believe the deal I found today, Babe!” I bounded in the door.

My exuberance drew a less-than-enthusiastic response from my spouse.

“We talked about this.”

I’d done it again. But wanting my family to be excited because I saved my family money by spending is normal, right?!

Did I just say that?

The popular myth: Managing money is about figuring out what to do and then doing it.

But is it that simple? We usually miss a crucial factor: the heart driving it all. Proverbs cautions us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (4:23 NIV).

One way of pursuing a shared budget is to move past the belief that just knowing the right things about money guarantees we will do the right things with money.

What’s your real “treasure” beneath the big find? What does it do for you inside? What are your heart’s true reasons for overspending, or even saving?

Establishing a budget begins with listening. Come clean with one another and honestly assess where you may need help to cling less tightly.

Turns out my “great find” had a hidden treasure after all: Popping open a life-giving, critical conversation to tackle my fear of death by budget.

Listen to the pros offer strategies to keep money conflicts out of your home in “Money and Marriage” on FamilyLife This Week.

The Good Stuff: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17)

Action Points: Separately, make a list of two or three areas where you tend to overspend. If you’re more of a saver, jot down where might you be prone to overreact and clamp down—and why. Talk and start tracking what you spend with the goal of pursuing what can become a shared budget.

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