Free christian family budgeting software

The husband should, however, as head of the family, limit the spending and keep control of charge accounts. This remark is important in view of the fact that most spending is done by women, sometimes responsibly, sometimes not. Husband and wife communicate freely and openly with each other about money matters, but there must be one person with the final say.

According to the Bible, this person is the husband. As far as our "needs" are concerned, we may distinguish between our routine needs, our special needs, and emergency needs.

To deal with these needs, many families have three bank accounts: a checking account, a savings account, and an emergency fund. Some combine the last two into one: an account for special purchases or emergency situations. It is suggested that this account contain at least three months' salary. It may take some time to establish this account, but it will certainly prove helpful in keeping a family from poverty.

A Christian budget will give attention to three major areas: our spiritual, material, and social needs. Under spiritual needs we may include church and school. Under material needs we must list food, clothing, housing, medical costs, insurance, and also some savings.

Under social needs we will place taxes and charities. A budget which is lacking in any of these vital areas, is not truly a Christian budget. Most of the budget will have to do with our material needs. It is important that we seek a proper balance. It is the idea of a budget that we balance income and expenses. Actually it is important even to try to save. There is nothing wrong with seeking some financial security, also for the future.

This, too, belongs to Christian stewardship. Saving begins with small quantities and should be planned over a long period of time. Saving must be taught in the home, for example by opening accounts for each child and encouraging them to bring some money there regularly. In this way a sense of responsibility and pride is instilled in the children.

Remember the regular, small amounts! Those who wish to save too much at one time, easily become discouraged and give up completely. Time is an important factor in the family budget. We do not live for our riches, and our goal as Christians is not to gain great wealth.

We need not accumulate all our possessions in a few years. We need not have everything right away. If the Lord grants us His blessing, we will in time accumulate many gifts. Therefore we need not buy a ticket in the lottery game or seek a job with a get-rich-quick formula. The Lord blesses faithfulness. Faithfulness in working, in giving, in saving. We will find that we are able to meet our needs and commitments, and still have something left over. That is the experience of God-fearing families.

Christian families, too, will at times have financial problems. There is often so much that needs to be paid: mortgages, transportation, education, etc. It is not always easy to make ends meet, especially when church and school must also be maintained.

It requires constant diligence and careful management, keeping the priorities straight always. There is no easy way out. Sometimes there are lean years. Sometimes we will need help from relatives or the communion of saints. The Lord has also made His will known in this respect that we shall care for each other. Most financial problems, however, are not caused by the cost of our spiritual needs. Our churches and schools run on carefully planned budgets, and the cost is kept as minimal as possible.

In addition to a suite of standard budgeting tools, it also offers a unique feature of managing shared expenses. This would be an excellent program to use if you share a home or have expenses you split with other individuals throughout the month.

The key to selecting a budgeting tool is to use what works for you. If you are not very good with a personal computer, your very best option could be a downloadable budget form that you use with a sharp pencil. Each of the above options has its own unique features. My advice is to sign up for several of them and kick the tires to see which program will fit your situation the best. Photo credit: Career Employer. James L. He regularly appears as a guest on radio and TV as a financial commentator.

He is an avid sailor, trumpet player, and black belt practitioner of Tae Kwon Do. Publication date: September 2, Paris ChristianMoney. Free Budgeting Tools Mint. Follow Crosswalk. The nice thing about having a Christian budget plan is that, not only is it biblical, but it also enables us to know what we have left for frivolities after our bills are paid.

When God is invited into your checkbook, there is nothing to fear. Incoming vs. Outgoing Funds. The first step in Christian budgeting is figuring out how much money you have coming in and how much you can afford to send back out. These numbers will change depending on your circumstances, but they are a great place to start when considering your own Christian budgeting. For instance, not everybody is sure how much money will come in next month; some people work for an hourly wage, or maybe even work in commission-based sales.

My income depends on whether I sell enough cars next month! Christian budgeting is a good idea and a biblical requirement for you, too. In fact, you will have to be even more careful than people on a salary.

Take your yearly income and divide it by twelve to work out the proportions accordingly. Some months, extra may come in; this, you can put into savings to dip into during the lean months so that everything comes out even in the end. As you can imagine, this might take a great deal of discipline.

All-in-One Change Management Tools. Top Rated Toolkit for Change Managers. Teaching our children Christian money management principles is one of the best things we can do for them. We know kids learn by watching what their parents do.

A loving, education-minded Christian mother and father will sit down together and make their Christian budget plan, not only for themselves, but for the sake of their children. Watching mom and dad cooperate for the good of the family is exactly the sort of thing God wants our kids to see.

Christian money management is an excellent skill for any child to learn. Lack of money, or financial instability, is one of the biggest causes of divorce in the modern age. Not only is Christian budgeting a gift to your children, it is also a gift to your spouse. Taking the time to make sure your finances are transparent and meeting the needs of the whole family is a great way to make sure your family unit stays intact. Some couples lead very different financial lives.

The day when you start to practice Christian money management will call for total honesty from both parties. It will be necessary to sit down and make sure that all expenses are accurately accounted for. Remember, your kids are watching. Image Source: Christian Budget Planner.

Prioritize Your Needs. Those Monolo Blahniks are a need , right? Prioritizing our needs means we pay for housing, bills, and food before we splurge on designer shoes.