| 31 Days | Mind on My Money, Money on My Mind

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She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 

Proverbs 31: 16

Let's be honest, stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason. They are grounded in truth and have an element of consistency to them when held up against fact. When I hear the word business, I think of money and numbers and businessmen and things that are oh so scary to me. I think of my father and his sharp mind, quick to figure the best deal.

My father is honestly one of the smartest men I know. We jokingly call him the closet genius. He reads and retains so much information in that brain of his, and he is quite knowledgeable on myriad subjects. Daddy, if you're reading, don't let this go to your head. :) As a child, I received a weekly allowance of one dollar. And do you know what I had to do with 10% of that dollar? I had to tithe each Sunday. So for you mathematicians out there, I made ninety cents a week. Big ballin', right?! The importance of tithing taught me that my money is not my own. Everything I have belongs to the Lord, and I have to treat it as such. Now that I make a bajillion times more than ninety cents a week, I am tempted to withhold my tithe. But I have learned that God does so much more with my 90% than I could do with my 100%.

The Proverbs 31 woman is not financially frivolous, allowing her money to slip out of her hands, unaware of its destination. Instead, she plans and considers how best to spend the money that she has. She makes investments by planning for the future, and she takes care of her needs before indulging her wants. I wish I could say that I do all of these things. My dad has taught me so much about money, but if I'm being honest, I have to say that I still have so much to learn.

Here are a few quick tips that have helped me stay afloat:

1) When you pay for something using a credit card, pay it off as soon as possible.
2) Try your best to save something every month. Twenty dollars is something!
3) Track your purchases and see where you are spending needlessly, that way you know where to cut back.
4) Don't feel bad about treating yourself sometimes. (That advice definitely comes from my mom and not my dad. Ha.)
5) Tithe. It doesn't have to be a strict 10%, but give back. When you are generous, it comes back around. That is His promise to us. Don't be afraid and hold on to what isn't yours.

 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. - Malachi 3:10