I know...money isn’t fun :( But if there’s one thing I have found out in just a few months of marriage, it’s that we needed to figure it out in order to thrive. Honestly, nothing else will go right or keep you joyful until you figure out your money —whether you’re young, old, having been working steady for years or just getting started, you NEED to know what your money is doing, and even more importantly, I think God asks us to.

I’m certainly no expert, but I do love a good numbers game and sniffing out the best coupons and hacks, so below I compiled a few of my favorite tips on how we budget our money and are doing pretty well (while only making a little bit!).

First off, let’s get our WHY out front and center here, and then we’ll have a little fun with some tips!

For my husband and I, that “why” is our faith. God asks us to be responsible with the things that He gives to us because ultimately everything we have is His and is meant for His purposes, so being irresponsible with it will only lead to disaster. An example of this is shown in the story of The Prodigal Son when the younger son takes his inheritance, blows every bit of it, and has to come crawling back to his father.

One of my ultimate favorite verses on this subject is from Luke 16:10:

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

I LOVE this.

Mostly because it gives me ultimate hope and, in my opinion, relates directly to many of our situations as young people and young married couples. We don’t have any money! I’m not complaining or anything, but my husband and I legitimately have thousands of dollars in student loans, and jobs that annually don’t make as much as we owe.

I just want to be real because I think it helps you see the situation better.

But what makes me friggin giddy, is that God doesn’t jeopardize us for that! In fact, He tells us that if we can manage the little we have now and be responsible to pay what we owe (one of the Psalms talks about the evil not repaying what they owe), then He will entrust us with more to serve Him with.

So you better bet your butt I’m going to do all that I can to be trustworthy with my “very little” so that someday God can give me much more for His kingdom. Isn’t that exciting!

And also a challenge, since we have to prove our trustworthiness to Him.

So if your very first issue is not understanding why you should save or worry about paying off your bills or doing whatever it is that you need to with your money, I suggest you take a good look at your reasoning behind your beliefs and desires. Trust me, I know it’s hard! When my husband and I first started looking into our finances, it was hard to realize we didn’t just get to keep all of our hard earned money. Paying off loans is not fun! Or credit cards, or even just saving and not spending more than you make…but at the end of the day the money was never ours to begin with, and we have to take care of it just as if we were taking care of a friend’s money (or, better yet, as if we were taking care of our Heavenly Father’s money!)

If you want a little perspective on it all, take a look here first.

So here’s the lowdown on some things my husband and I do to take great care of our money:

Create a budget for your bills and non-negotiables
Literally the last word you wanted to read, but you simply cannot deal with anything else or even say you know what you’re doing with your money unless you budget it out and, as Dave Ramsey would say, tell it where to go, and if you need more convincing, just think on this:
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”—Luke 14:28–30
It’s actually pretty simple, though. Figure out (as best as you can) what you will make each month, then write down every bill you know you have to pay each month as well as some set aside for saving and tithing, and take the remaining amount and split it up where you want it to go (remember, you are telling your money where to go!). Some of the remainder might include fun money for going out, buying clothing, entertainment, etc.
Go here for more explanation from the boss on budgeting. There’s a reason he’s a millionaire.
*Head to the end to get your budget spreadsheet!
Create a $1,000 emergency fund—with some of your wedding/gift money!
This one can be a little tricky, but like mentioned above, we immediately took $1,000 from money we already had and some of our wedding money and simply put it in a savings account, away from our joint checking. Over and done. Don’t touch it. It may not cover an entire emergency, but it’s a place to start, and you don’t have to worry about creating it if you just get it over with right away. If you are past the wedding and don’t have the funds to start your account, consider asking for monetary gifts for birthdays/holidays and put those directly towards your fund.
Simplify with allowances
This one has been really helpful for us! My husband and I tried to budget out the extra money, but it was honestly kind of tough for us to specifically budget out restaurants, entertainment, and even just haircuts or new razors we would need. We decided to take the leftover money (after paying our bills, loans, and saving), and we split that up between us. Then every time each of us bought something, went out somewhere, or whatever else it might be, we wrote it down to track our spending. Once it runs out? You’re done. Simple as that. If you follow your budget and allowance you NEVER HAVE AN EXCUSE TO OVERSPEND.
Get off your high horse and eat/shop store brand generic—it adds up
I probably don’t even need to mention this one, but for some reason the man in my house thinks he needs real Oreos, Doritos, Chex Mix…and they’re like $3 or $4 each! Yes, that doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up, and switching to generic will give you SO much more money to work with in your grocery budget! Then you can stock up on other things and make your food last longer! Same goes for makeup, clothing, and a lot of other things. Later in life when you have more money, feel free to buy the “good” stuff, but for right now, I promise you Great Value brand is actually pretty decent. As I read on a blog somewhere the other day, “Money looks better in the bank than on your feet,” or in your belly, just saying.
Shop at Aldi and Walmart before Target, or [Insert other pricier store]
No explanation necessary. Target is not meant to be a poor man’s grocery store, department store, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Target (or whatever store you love to get lost in), but you will be tempted to buy things you shouldn’t (You’ve all read the Target memes!), and they just don’t have the $1/$2 items like the bargain stores do. Also, I’ve heard that millionaires shop at The Dollar Tree these days.
Become a DIY-er and thrift store connoisseur
I’m not gonna lie, I LOVE watching makeup tutorials, YouTube videos on the ultimate pampering night, the latest decor and home items, but then when I push the links to each item I am blown away. Like one tiny product or piece might cost $65! Uh, no way. I will spoil myself with a coconut oil hair mask, brown eye shadow “bronzer”, and antique, thrift store bar cart. I will save over $100 and get way more use out of the products in my own house, and it’s fun to try and figure it out and see what you can find!
On that same note—if you own a similar product, don’t buy more
When I’m debt free I will own all of the magical face washes and foundations in the world, but for now? I have one and as far as I know it gets the job done. Trust me, it’s hard walking past past the thousands of different kinds of products, but if I have something that already does what I need it to (cleaning products, shoes, blankets, decor, nail polish….) then I don’t need another one.
Set aside or budget money for trips/vacations, and pay ahead whenever you can
If you know you want to go somewhere specific in advance, start setting aside money for it, or, on the flip side, maybe set aside $500-$1000 (or whatever your budget allows) for each yearly vaca and then let that decide your destination. Also, if you can pay for travel, shows, outings, etc. ahead of time, do that. Do everything in your power to make sure your trip doesn’t have an excuse to burden you. You can enjoy it more if you know it’s paid for ahead of time!
Make seeking out restaurant bargains and weekly specials a fun challenge
Red Robin buy one get one free entrees this weekend? Okay, date night. Coupon about to expire at Subway at the end of the week? That works for our drive home Friday night. Make it a game to base your weekly meal or two out(yes, limiting your going out to once or twice a week is another super smart tip) on which places are having a special, where you can use a coupon at, or where you know you can get a good meal for a decent price.
Around the holidays—look for BOGO gift cards and meals
This Christmas I bought a $50 Subway gift card and got a $10 one for free. I saw the same deal at Panera, Applebees and several other places too. Or at Potbelly you could get a free sandwich for buying a $25 gift card. If you really want to be nice and get gift cards for other people, make sure you buy one that at least gets you a bargain too. Or, if you’re trying to be even more creative and you know you can use these restaurants as one of your weekly dinners out anyway, then why not buy yourself a gift card and literally get free money or food? I like to be as smart as possible about eating out since I am still attacking debt and trying to be a savvy spender, so finding the best deals and scores has become something I love trying to figure out. Don’t get down about being money smart! Make it fun!
I know this is only applicable for a few more days in 2018, but you can still get an idea of which places have the best deals for future reference here!
Learn to return
Friends, returning items is not fun, but let me tell you, my husband and I got like $250 back after our wedding just from returning items we knew we wouldn’t use. Just like that! Free money! I know it may seem rude to return someone’s gift, or just annoying to go through the hassle, but really get thoughtful about what you are going to use and what is just going to take up space and be of no use at all when it could better serve someone else. Or, if you bought a shirt and it doesn’t quite fit. DO NOT LET IT EVEN TOUCH A HANGER IN YOUR CLOSET. Take that sucker back to the store ASAP before you forget, get past the return period, or just decide you don’t feel like doing it. It’s your money!
Use credit cards for GAS ONLY
Yes, I know you’re going to create a budget, but to even further protect yourself, please only use your credit card to buy gas. It’s a payment you know you can handle and will pay off every single time. I love Dave Ramsey and follow almost all of his tips, but I don’t see a problem in using a credit card to help you build good credit and also to get cash back (heyyy Discover, you da best), but ONLY if you are 100% committed to only spend within your budget. That’s why, for us, only buying gas with it works. There’s no temptation to overspend, and we pay it off every single month.

Okay, that’s all for now. We will share some more tips in upcoming posts! Is there anything specific you’d like to learn about?? Let me know!

Before you move on, just remember in this time of planning and perseverance, God promises to be with us and take care of us. Don’t let money even take your eye off that amazing truth. You can have 73 cents of 2 million, and the same God still loves and cherishes you.

And because I think you’re so stinking worth it and crazy cool, I created a spreadsheet for you to plan out your budget! If you have any questions just leave a comment!

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but we got home after getting OUR VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE last weekend, and I started fluffing the branches to fan them out a bit…and what catches me eye but BROWN NEEDLES!

Not a SINGLE pine needle on the inside layers near the trunk was green.

Literally all BROWN! :(

If I wasn’t such a cheap skate and we hadn’t just spent an hour hauling the darn thing out of the car and into the apartment, trying desperately not to let a needle touch our precious landlord’s floor—I would’ve gone right back and bought a new tree!

And I would’ve scoured those darn needles for any hints of dead-ness! Hindsight is 20/20 right?

Well, here we are, with our dead tree that is barely holding onto to his life, and he’s honestly just fooling the outside world, ya know? He’s all green and sprucey on the outside, trying to make our first Christmas extra special, but inside he is a hot mess.

Okay, I promise to stop going on about the tree like it’s our dog or child (just so you know, though, his name is Sprucester), but the point is that this whole tree situation got me to thinking about my own outward appearance vs. inner defects and issues.

So here’s my thought process..

Marriage, especially in the first months or years (or anytime, really) is supposed to look pretty. It’s supposed to work out and you’re supposed to be happy. Maybe I’m just generalizing, but you get married because you’re in love, and then the precedent is that you are supposed to feel so full of love and lust for life >>>>OUTER GREEN LAYER THAT’S SPRUCEY and BEAUTIFUL.

I mean, in the story books the couples don’t get married and then become depressed and frustrated and not sure what life is supposed to look like, but, if I’m being honest, I have felt all of those things since getting married>>>>INNER BROWN, SUFFERING NEEDLES HIDDEN FROM SIGHT.

It hasn’t been long term or because of huge issues. In fact, I have the most loving husband on the earth who constantly showers me with praise and compliments, I have a good job that pays decent, and we are fitting expenses within our budget and having some great times together.

If I just told you those things, I would appear like our sweet Christmas tree that is green and robust and covered with beautiful decorations.

But there’s a lot more to the story. This transition from college-life, living at home with parents, no real expectations/responsibilities to, doing what I believe God was asking my now-husband and I to do, getting married, has been a real challenge.

You go from being sort-of defined by your parents and what they do and where they live to (if you’re like us) moving several hours away in a place where no one knows you and having to make all of those decisions and impressions on your own…it’s HARD.

My husband graduated college and we waited for him to find a job to decided where we would live (since our home towns are hours apart), and then I had to find a job at that point. As an English major without a lot of experience, I had no clue what I was supposed to do.

To shorten this up…I suffered with missing my parents, being afraid I wasn’t going to be able to help support us financially, wallowing in inferiority and shame because I made so much less money than my husband, floating in uncertainty about my role as a wife and if I was doing good enough, and even once I got a job I stressed greatly because I didn’t know what I supposed to be doing there and I deal with sometimes-major social anxiety.

On top of all of this, we hadn’t and really still have not made much community where we live, which equals no one but my husband and sometimes my mom to hear my struggles and listen to me fret about them.

…that seems pretty brown and ugly to me.

Honestly, I’m not so unlike our sad Christmas tree. I have the best and brightest smile (not to brag or anything, just your high school best smile award right here) when I’m at work and around other people, just like the pretty outsides of our tree, but inside sometimes I struggle.

I am a Christian and I love God so much and am working to kill some of these dark things, but they still taunt and tempt us sometimes, am I right?

Christians don’t just magically get to side-step the hard things in life, but I think sometimes we like to pretend we have it all together and don’t want to show people our shady insides.

That Christmas tree sitting in our living room has its share of issues, but that doesn’t disqualify it from bringing us joy and filling our home with love and reminders of Jesus. Yes, the tree isn’t a Christian symbol, but to me it is a daily reminder of the celebration we get to be a part of every single year, and that tree is still loved and doing its part in our home.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine be… — “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

That’s my takeaway from this little analogy in my head: that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, whether we are struggling or feeling stronger than every in our faiths, CAN AND IS CALLED TO BE REMINDERS OF JESUS.

How cool is that? We don’t have to have it all together, and we shouldn’t be expected to either. God is challenging and growing us constantly, and honestly the devil is attacking us frequently as well, especially if we are really trying to be vessels of faith.

That means we are going to be a little messy sometimes, and I’m challenging myself during these times to, first, make sure I am sharing that with people and being real about my struggles, even if they are ugly, and, second, I am shining a light and loving people and seeking God’s purpose and will even when I don’t feel qualified or successful myself.

I hope that this resonates with you, whether you are a wife or single or going through a trial or not, and maybe just smile and be reminded that imperfection doesn’t equal inability and disqualification.