29 Jul One scripture completely changed our personal finances

It took my husband and I months and maybe years to get this right. Finances are a mammoth adult responsibility. The Bible addresses the stewardship of wealth directly and indirectly across the Old and New Testaments. It’s a topic that I’ve prayed over continually. But there was one key scripture that really unlocked the rest of the game for us.

Proverbs 27:23-27:

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,

    give careful attention to your herds;

24 for riches do not endure forever,

    and a crown is not secure for all generations.

25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears

    and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,

    and the goats with the price of a field.

27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family

    and to nourish your female servants.

It took hearing this advice from multiple people in both secular and Christian settings for it to eventually sink in.

For anything to change we have to know what we’re dealing with.

We have to know our numbers.

Specifically, we have to pay attention to what is currently happening.

Not daydreaming about how much money it would be nice to have to buy the ultimate family home. Not regretting the past use of credit resulting in debt payments. Not messing around on ChatGPT to figure out a killer investment plan. What’s happening right now?

There’s a principle to this proverb. The right steps towards success start with paying attention. It’s as simple as that. God needs us to be honest with the current situation and listen to the story our money is telling us right now.

For us, knowing “the condition of your flocks” meant careful financial tracking of our expenditure. This is one habit that has drastically changed the game. We’ve tweaked it over time and we don’t get it perfect every month but most months it looks like this:

Stage 1: Forecasting

1. Identifying upcoming expenses
2. Planning for unknown expenses
3. Identifying income for the month (as a freelance earner, I have my income ready a month ahead of time so that I have the month to collect my invoices and send it over to the household bank account by the 1st)

Stage 2: Budgeting

1. Putting these all into a spreadsheet before the first pay day. Together. Some items in the budget are completely fixed: debit orders. The rest are moderately fixed: miscellaneous, groceries, travel. We also have a small no judgement fun spend we allocate to each other as pocket money. It turns out it’s smarter to have as few categories as possible.
2. We withdraw cash for groceries. This has honestly revolutionised my spending. This wouldn’t be a groundbreaking strategy for everyone. Some people find physical cash a hassle. Some people are really good at digital tracking. But using the ‘envelope system’ for just this one spending category has helped us tremendously. I split the withdrawals into 3: Day 1 – 10 gets about 45% of the grocery budget to include pantry items for the month. Day 11 – 20 gets 30% and Day 21 – 30 gets 25% as there are usually leftovers in the fridge and freezer.

Stage 3: Live Tracking

1. I track three times a month and let my husband know what we have remaining in the ‘unfixed’ spending categories (travel, groceries, miscellaneous). This has helped us to stay on the same page, encourage each other, and keep our spending habits conscious rather than be at the mercy of our whims.
2. We have an agreed cut off amount for big purchases. If the purchase is over a certain number, and it’s not expected, we discuss it with each other prior to purchasing.

There are other things we do too of course, in the vein of long term financial planning and risk management. But the wisdom of God is that a long-term vision goes hand in hand with today’s work. 

Has God ever given you a big breakthrough in the way you handle your personal finances? Share it in the comments below!

Kate Walsh

Kate is the current owner and editor of Cup of Faith. She is a blogger who loves Jesus, loves to read, and currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband.