FirstFruits Findings Fall 2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Note From The Director “Dad/Mom, I need money.” How many of you have heard that from your kid(s)? Well, friends, this question is not just asked by young children. If you are a parent of adult children, you may have also been asked this question. When kids ask for money, it is normally because they have not saved for the expense. You know, we have a culture that focuses on “feeling good”. You will feel good if you buy this service or product. The results of giving in to the spending impulse are tragic! In this issue, read “Saving Prevents Pitfalls”. We in the church need to continually remind, encourage and give assistance. Our job at FirstFruits® is to help you help your congregation. Our number is 888-448-3040. ~ Norm Vander Wel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAVING PREVENTS PITFALLS The average person in our country is three weeks away from bankruptcy. He has little or no money saved, regular fixed obligations to support a relatively high lifestyle, significant monthly credit obligations and a total dependence on next week’s paycheck to keep the budget afloat. Principle #4 BIBLE BACKS SAVINGS The major reason most people are poor savers is because we live in a culture that does not practice self-denial. When we want something, we want it now! However, Scripture encourages us to save. “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (Proverbs 21:20 LB) By contrast, society says, “Spend all you make.” However, if you should save, put your trust in your accumulated assets. Saving makes provision for tomorrow. It builds a financial safety cushion for emergencies. A good rule of thumb is to save the equivalent of two to three month’s salary, in case you are unable to work due to illness or injury. When saving, we must also keep balance in mind. If we concentrate solely on saving, our focus and affection will gravitate there. We must be careful to balance our saving and investing by giving generously to the Lord. When you receive income, the first check you write should be to the Lord, the second check for your savings. Remember, the most effective way to save is to start early and be consistent. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A PENNY SAVED Get that emergency fund started. That way you won’t have to pay credit card interest when the washing machine dies. Let the bank automatically take your savings out of your paycheck. You won’t miss what you don’t see. Deposit all your loose change into a jar at the end of the day. You’ll be amazed how much is accumulated after a year! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Teaching Children Financial Responsibility Parents, either single or married, will find that children can be taught simple principles of money management at a surprisingly young age. Saving money is essentially a discipline that children must be taught. It’s just like brushing their teeth or doing their homework. Think about this process. You provide the child with the tools needed: a toothbrush and toothpaste; then you provide the proper environment, a bathroom with a sink, to practice the discipline; and finally, you monitor the activity and offer encouragement and praise for successfully completing the newly learned task. How to Set Up a Savings Program: Provide your child with the tools to save. They must have a source of money, preferably earned, that enables them to have money of their own to save. Provide the proper environment where the child can safely keep the money saved. This can be a piggy bank or toy safe. Monitor the activity and provide encouragement. Set attainable goals and then reward your child with praise for successfully saving the money. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tips to Try Clever cost-cutting ideas to use at home Sale ads. Design your week’s menus around the weekly grocery store sale ads. Take full advantage of the store’s loss-leaders, those items the store has priced below their cost in order to get you into the store. Shop the perimeter. Concentrate on the perimeter of the grocery store rather than the center aisles. Around the outside is where you’ll find healthier food with the least packaging and processing: produce, meats, fish, and dairy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIMPLY SIMPLIFY "Planning Ahead" As we think about the relationship of savings to “Simply Simplify”, it is clear to see how saving can significantly simplify our lives. When we save before we purchase, the purchase is often well-planned in terms of the product or service, as opposed to an impulse which can lead to buying unnecessarily. Debt is often caused by buying without having saved first. The level of stress becomes significant in those who are struggling with financial difficulties due to debt. Persons with significant debt can tell you how complicated life can become when you have maxed-out credit cards and begin paying off one credit card with another. In addition, all the conversations that a debtor has to have with creditors does not add to a simplified life. Each of us probably knows someone whose life is extremely difficult because they did not save. Want to simplify your life? Save for each purchase and ask God if this is really important for you to buy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mold Me! There was a story about a handful of clay that dreamed of future greatness and glory. When it was made into a common clay pot, the clay became despondent and fretful. To add further insult, someone filled it with dirt and shoved a hard brown lump down into its center. After many days the clay pot was carried into a great cathedral and people came by the hundreds to see the finest lily that grew. The clay pot finally came to understand that it would never be the center of attention—but it could be a humble container for priceless beauty. Maybe this story by Henry van Dyke (1852-1933) helps us to realize that the whole point of submission is not what we might become in Him but what He might become in us. Parish Publications