Rose Colored Glasses

One is going to use cash, checks, and debit cards. Put away the credit cards live within one’s income and get out of debt.

A tall order much easier said than done. The reality is much harder to achieve than the vision.

We know one is trying to live within one’s income, and become more frugal and thrifty. To accomplish the task of getting out of debt, on has to have a plan. The plan is the budget.

One might write a budget that looks something like this:
1. Giving
2. Mandatory Expenses
3. Expendable Expenses
4. Slave Expenses
5. Exigent Circumstance Expenses
6. Pay Off Debt

[See the article 'Solving the Crime’]

That is a great place to start. It is not enough. Paying off debt needs to be a priority! If one waits until all other expenses are paid, and one is living within one’s means, there will not be any money left over to pay off debt.

The budget needs to look like this:
1. Giving
2. Pay Off Debt
3. Mandatory Expenses
4. Expendable Expenses
5. Slave Expenses
6. Exigent Circumstances Expenses

Note that ‘Unknown’ is not in either budget. That is because we have already discussed finding and accounting for ‘black hole’ money.

Making ‘Pay Off Debt’ a priority does not mean that one does not meet their other obligations; it means that paying off debt is a priority that one plans.

Where does the money to pay off debt come from? One has already ‘trimmed’ the budget to live within one’s income. That has taken effort and a change in attitude and changes in behavior. Trimming the budget to live within one’s income is a great start, but that does not necessarily provide additional money to pay towards debt. One has to find that money within the existing budget.

At this point many would say, “You’re still crazy - I’m doing everything I can to live within my income and make ends meet. Where am I going to find more money in my budget to pay off my debts?”
The answer is a couple of questions, “How thrifty have you become?” "What is your plan to pay off your debt?"

Thrift has to become a habit, not just a temporary action. Thrift is learned and does not usually come ‘naturally’. Our entire society thrives on waste not thrift. A comment on a blog, pointed out 1 John 2:16, which says, “For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world.” The ‘Message Bible’ puts it like this, “Practically everything that goes on in the world - wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important - has nothing to do with the Father.”

Instead of looking at the world through the ‘rose colored’ glasses of the world, start looking at the world with ‘Christ colored’ glasses and ‘thrift colored’ glasses. ‘Christ colored glasses’ are the glasses of one learning to become more Christ-like, as in Romans 12:1 - 2. ‘Thrift colored' glasses are the glasses of one learning to be a good steward, Matthew 25:14-30.

We are going to look for some ‘thrift’ to trim the fat from the budget so we can ‘afford’ to pay off debt.