A Catholic Woman’s Guide to Budgeting
“For I know well the plans I have for you … plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Budgeting: Do you love it or hate it? In my experience, people tend to fall on one side or the other, but few are indifferent to budgeting. Regardless of your perspective, I want to propose an approach that invites God into your finances and challenges you to align your budget with your beliefs. No matter what your income level is, it is possible, and it will require surrender, humility, and trust.
Give, Save, Spend
Let’s divide your budget into three categories: give, save, and spend. Before you look at numbers, take a moment to think about percentages: What is your ideal percentage for each of these areas? What is God asking you to put toward each one?
1. Give
In the Old Testament, the Israelites are told to tithe—to give their first 10% back to God. Start there, but consider whether God is asking you to give even more. Take it to prayer, and make it a priority. “Give” is listed first because it is the most important category. When we give, we are responding to God’s call to serve his kingdom and help the people around us.
Pray about how much God is asking you to give and how he is asking you to give. Yes, giving includes charities, but it can also include giving a gift to a friend, buying coffee for a family member, or surprising someone with a handwritten card. St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) once said, “In the West there is a loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways, it is worse than our poor in Calcutta.”
Maybe, on top of giving to charities, God is asking you to fight this “leprosy of the West” with intentional gifts to the people in your life. These gifts absolutely fit into the “give” category of your budget.
2. Save
Next, you should pay yourself. Saving includes money that goes into retirement plans, saving accounts, investment accounts, and more. God asks you to care for yourself and others in your care, and having money set aside for emergencies, spontaneous opportunities, and the future alleviates stress and increases confidence.
God blesses you with your salary each month and gives you the responsibility to use your resources responsibly. When you invest, you take saving one step further, using the money God has given you to make more money, just like the wise servants in the parable of the talents. When you save and invest, it may be easier to say “yes” to the callings God puts on your heart. He provides for these missions in many ways—and he could provide for them before you even know what they are.
Typically, financial professionals encourage people to save at least 15 to 20% of their income. What percentage is on your heart to save each month?
3. Spend
What is left? Around 70%! This is the money you have to spend each month. Once you start looking at numbers, you will see whether this percentage covers your necessary and discretionary expenses. You then might have to take your budget to prayer and say, “OK, God, where am I wrong, or where are you asking me to trust you more? Are you going to provide for these things even if I don’t see how right now?”
Balance prudence with faith. God asks us to foster both virtues.
Crunch the Numbers
Now that you have your ideal percentages written down, it is time to crunch some numbers. Knowledge is power, and taking the time to figure out your finances is well worth it. To make the process easier, take a look at the amount of money that comes into your bank account each month. You could make it more complicated and factor in taxes (a financial professional can walk through this process with you), but unless you usually owe taxes, using your monthly take-home pay will work. Multiply that number by your ideal percentages. Are those numbers you can work with?
Unless you use budgeting software or keep a close look on your monthly expenses, you probably do not know how much you spend in each category. That’s OK; start by adding up or estimating the amount you give each month. Then, calculate how much you save. Finally, add these two numbers together, and subtract them from your monthly take-home total (send me an email if you want an Excel spreadsheet that will help).
How close are you to your goal percentages? Do you need to rework your budget? Do you need to reconsider your budget? What is God asking of you?
Adapt and Adjust
Now that you have taken the time to understand where you want to be and where you are now, don’t be too hard on yourself if you are far from your ideals. We cannot change what we do not understand. I encourage you to make a plan and set concrete goals to try to reach those ideal percentages within the next six months or year. Consider aligning that milestone with a special feast day to honor God with the new budget you have made with him.
It will take time to adjust, but it will be worth it. There are plenty of ways to rework your budget to hit your goals. Maybe you decide only to eat out when you are with family members. Maybe you can find some charities that will really motivate you to give more. Maybe you need to understand more about compounding and how your money can make you more money, to motivate you to save and invest every month. Whatever it is for you, make concrete goals, and find some accountability. We are all more successful with someone helping us along the way.
It might be a lot of work, but we are all called to be stewards of what God gives us, and we cannot be a good steward if we do not know where our money is going. As you reflect on this exercise, consider what else might God be calling you to do with your money. How can you align your budget with what he is asking of you? What are the next steps he wants you to take with your finances?
Erica Mathews currently works for Financial Counseling Associates. She completed her course work for the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification at the College for Financial Planning and is six months of experience away from completing her certification. She is passionate about helping families build their wealth so they can live out the calls God has places on their hearts. She lives in Colorado with her husband and four kids. They love everything outdoors including gardening, hiking, biking and simply exploring nature. If you would like to reach Erica you can email her at Erica@fca-inc.com.