Money

Money can be one of the most challenging departments that a Family Manager has to deal with. So many conflicts arise because of money, or lack of money. Remember that most families typically have a certain amount of income each month. It is important that you learn how to budget your money so that you can provide for your family. You also want to be able to save some money and have some to give to your church.

Take Home Tips:

Learn how to make a simple budget for your family. Start by recording how much income you have every month. Take a look at past receipts to determine how much you spend on food, clothing, gas, kids activities, etc. Then estimate what you will need each month to provide for your family's needs. Also, allot 10% to savings and 10% to tithe. Once you write down your expenses for each month, you will be able to determine what is really necessary and what you can cut back on or eliminate.

Start teaching your kids at a young age how to save money. Give them an allowance and teach them how to budget to save for toys that they might want. Also, teach your kids to give a portion of their allowance to church and charities.

Be Still

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10 NKJV

Summer is drawing to a close all too quickly. Two weeks from today, my kids will be back at our neighborhood school learning what is expected of them in 1st and 3rd grade. As I've looked back over our summer, I have been feeling like we just haven't done much this summer. At least not much that has "meant" something. I keep thinking we should have done "more". Now, let me give you my definition of "more" . . . I mean more educational activities, more family quality time, more spiritual training. More, more, more.

Lately, though, I've discovered that I've been beating myself up over not doing "more" for nothing. This verse from the Psalms came to me as a friend and I were talking about what we had accomplished with our kids this summer. After we had decided that neither of us had done all the things we would have liked, we came to the conclusion that the summer has not been a total waste. When kids are pushed so hard during the school year with homework, tests, sports, music lessons, church, etc., sometimes it's ok to just let them be kids and to let them just hang out. Whether it's unstructured playtime, watching t.v. or just doing nothing, it's always good to "be still".

God tells us to "be still" so that we can know He is God. What a wonderful thing to pass along to our kids! If we can teach them to "be still", we can teach them to listen for the voice of God. So, when you think you need to do "more" with your kids, remember to "be still".