Show me the money!

Some Christians have a problem discussing finance because they feel it is a “worldly” concept that will inevitably corrupt the soul. 

The word “prosperity” is often dismissed as an Americanism that doesn’t match up with biblical teachings.

I strongly disagree with this. Jesus mentioned money more times in the gospels than any other topic apart from the Kingdom of God. If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me. According to my calculations, the word “prosper” is used a whopping 49 times in the Bible, while “prosperity” is dropped in on 17 occasions.

We need to remember that it is the love of money that is “the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), not the money itself. We all need cash to put food on the table and to keep a roof over our heads, but that doesn’t give us carte blanche to become greedy and covetous. We are called to rule over our money rather than letting our financial circumstances rule us; to stop comparing ourselves with others and to value people over “stuff”.

The Bible tells us we should be “wise stewards” of our money (Luke 12:42). In other words, we should not spend beyond our means and we should use our cash to live honourable and generous lives. In actual fact, the more sensible we are with the money God has already blessed us with, the more he will entrust us with in the future. So if you need a few extra quid, maybe it’s time to readjust the way you view the money that’s already burning a hole in your pocket.

As Christians we believe that everything in the universe was created by, and belongs to, God. So whatever we earn, we should remember to give thanks for it and use it for His glory, not to keep buying endless pairs of shoes (is it just me that struggles with this particular temptation?).

The Bible makes it clear that we should tithe, which means giving the first 10% of our income to God. I’ll discuss this at length some time soon, as it’s a topic that needs a bit of careful consideration. It also tells us we should use it to help others, particularly orphans and widows; basically, anyone who is in real need.

This is really just an introduction, an overview of the topic, which by now I hope I’ve convinced you is one that is close to God’s own heart.

In future editions of Liberti magazine I’ll be covering all aspects of finance in the future: mortgages, debt, government benefits, credit cards, cashback sites, pensions, inheritance tax, shopping, budgeting, ISAs, online banking and anything else I can think of. If that doesn’t float your boat, I don’t know what will!

Hopefully, I’ll also be able to tailor this to the financial needs of you lovely Liberti ladies by covering issues such as the gender pay gap, childcare costs and upcoming changes to women’s car insurance legislation.

Most importantly, I’ll endeavour to present all of this from an interesting and biblical perspective. So let’s get ready to shake our money makers (what does that even mean?) and cash in on everything God has promised us.

After all, it was God who came up with the “live long and prosper” (Exodus 20:12) philosophy, long before Star Trek’s Dr Spock started using the infamous Vulcanian greeting. So let’s say a firm farewell to money worries and a hearty hello to healthy bank balances!

Read more from Joy in the upcoming edition of Liberti mag.

You, me and debris

Photo credit: Michelle Arseneault/Wikipedia

When I’m not writing for Liberti magazine, I spend a lot of my time mustering up financial news and blogs. I often find myself compiling helpful money-saving guides; well, at least, I hope they’re helpful.

Although these often relate to switching bank accounts or getting the right type of life insurance, a common theme throughout is cutting back on waste. There are so many ways to squander money and resources, and even though I should know better, I’m probably the worst culprit of all!

So here are my three Cs to help us keep on top of our waste, both financial and otherwise (in ascending order of importance).

Cancel old Direct Debits

Statistics show 40% of Direct Debit customers don't know how much cash leaves their account via Direct Debit each month. Many of us have experienced that painful pang when we realise a payment we should have cancelled months ago is still coming out. With online banking available to all of us, it’s our responsibility to know exactly what’s coming into and leaving our accounts. Staying on top of this will also help to ensure your account isn’t being used fraudulently.

Cut energy costs

UK households throw £1.4 billion down the drain each year simply by wasting energy. There are so many ways to cut back on energy usage without even noticing the difference. Did you know that using energy-saving light bulbs could save you up to £40 during the life of the bulb? And that turning your thermostat down by just 1% could save you 10% on your annual heating bill?

Other simple energy-saving measures include:

• Turning electrical appliances off rather than leaving them on standby
• Confining heating to the rooms you spend most time in
• Only boiling as much water as you need each time you make a hot drink
• Taking showers rather than baths
• Turning the temperature on your washing machine down to 30^oC

Control your buying habits

I personally feel a sense of achievement every time I put something in the recycling; particularly if I’ve gone to the trouble of rinsing or dismembering it in some way. Don’t panic, I’m not going to tell you to stop recycling or reusing items, but I am going to suggest an even better solution: not buying as much in the first place.

I was brought up to clean my plate each and every mealtime; my brother and I were well aware that there would be no pudding until we’d finished our dinner. Although I still do this as much as possible now, I continue to find myself throwing some food away every week. When will I learn that I’m not going to get through a kilo of grapes in a week? Why do I still fall for the multi-buy offers when I know it’s both false economy and wasteful?

And my wastefulness isn’t limited to food consumption. Each time I move house I promise myself I’ll never, ever accumulate so much ‘stuff’ again. But after two years in my current flat I once again find myself climbing over or banging into obstacles and items I simply don’t need: a foot spa, redundant mobile phone chargers and a host of old CDs I’ve never even listened to.

Every now and again I round up all the rubble and have a major cull. There’s no better feeling in the world than turning overflowing cupboards and full-to-the-brim drawers into minimalist vessels of essential goodies. Again I feel that warm fuzzy feeling as I traipse off to the charity shop to kindly bestow my discarded debris upon them.

But as with our financial affairs, the simplest and best approach is to only buy what we need in the first place. Don’t take out credit cards that will encourage you to get into debt and buy even more space hoggers. Don’t buy new versions of items you already have unless you are prepared to redeploy the originals. And definitely don’t buy presents for people this Christmas that will encourage them to follow you into the never-ending wilderness of waste!

Read more from Joy in the upcoming issue of Liberti magazine.