So I haven’t shared a ton about how this pandemic has impacted us and our business. Actually, I think I’ve been more quiet than I have been in these last few months. And my perspective on a lot of things has shifted because of the Coronavirus. If you’ve been following us for some time, you know, we own two restaurants with some amazing business partners. Eggs Up Grill has been such a blessing to our family following 9 months of unemployment and a season of drought. So we are no stranger to drought and adversity. So when the country was shut down last month, our businesses suffered tremendously like millions of Americans! Our dining rooms were closed and only takeout and delivery services could be offered. BUT God! Throughout my quiet, we have prayed, our pastors have prayed, our friends have prayed for financial miracles, breakthrough, and provisions during this crazy time. Because of their prayers and support, we have seen the hand of God over our restaurants, over our finances, blessing us beyond we deserve or have asked! Yes God! We have had the support of friends and local business owners who have paid thousands for their staff to eat at our restaurant to keep our doors open, and we can never repay those friends who have been the hands and feet of Jesus to us! Thank you friends!

As a society and culture, we have had to make some changes, including financially. And in turn, we have made budget changes that have helped us through this crazy time! We cling to the truth of Philippians 4:19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus”!

And goodness God has met every one of our needs!

That scripture and promise is our prayer almost daily during this time! Knowing full well that our God will meet every single one of our needs because He is good! So I guess you are here for some budgeting tips so let’s get to it.

Tithe. No. Friend. A ton of people think they can’t afford to tithe. And omg. We can’t afford NOT to tithe! We have seen God open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that we don’t even have room to receive it! Come on! We can’t afford NOT to tithe because God will supply all of our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus but that comes with US being obedient to what God has asked of us! I’m passionate about tithing because I see the goodness and faithfulness and fruit of that obedience in our own personal journey!
Make a Survival Budget! Your survival budget is the very bare minimum dollar amount you and your family need to live. Your survival budget is simplifying your budget just to focus on your most basic needs. You can calculate your survival budget by listing all of your current monthly expenses, then slowly eliminating what isn’t absolutely necessary. Now this will vary person to person, BUT really try to eliminate the non-essentials so that if you HAVE to go to your survival budget, you know exactly the number you need to live on for a time! With the pandemic still in effect, families have been heavily impacted by the economic repercussions of the shut down. So knowing and creating your survival budget is a must during this time.
Start cutting non-essential items! Online shopping is at an all-time high right now with stores closed, BUT are those items you are buying budgeted items or just “I AM BORED” purchases? Don’t go into debt or unnecessary financial despair during this time. Cut non-essential items and really hone in on your financial goals.
SAVE SAVE SAVE. So we pumped the breaks on our debt-payoff journey. We are still making payments and extra payments, BUT we are so close to saving 3-6 months worth of living expenses or as some would call a fully funded Emergency Fund. We didn’t have that as a goal before the pandemic. But when everything shut down, including our restaurants, we knew then, we needed to focus more on saving than paying off debt, in the event that something could happen to our businesses. We wanted to be prepared for the worst! SO the more cash you have readily available or in the bank, the better during this time. So really focus on saving more money. Any extras. Save. Any side hustle money, save! Save, save, save during times of uncertainty.
USE CASH! We have used cashed for the last few months, and OMG! You guys, our spending has significantly decreased. I have made it harder to spend by NOT taking money out of our account AND NOT filling envelopes lately. I found that by not taking the money out of the ATM, and making it harder for me to spend the money, I spend so much less. I inconvenienced myself by having to go to the ATM every single time I wanted to spend money. And our bank account has grew and grew because of it! Yes everything is closed now, but I’m going to try to continue this as long as possible even after the pandemic. Make it harder for you to spend money by using cash AND/OR by having to go out of your way to spend the money. When you have to go out of your way to get cash OR to spend money, you’re less likely to spend the money! I do like cash envelopes and did a 30 Day Cash only month last month, and let me tell you, CASH is really king. It forces you to think really hard on whether or not you really need that purchase. So even after this pandemic, I plan to use either cash envelopes and/or a cash only system. It really has revolutionized our budget and spending habits.
BONUS TIP: Track expenses/bills/spending DAILY or WEEKLY! What you track grows! So if you track what you’re eating daily, you’re going to grow in that area especially if you’re eating healthier. So every single day after doing my devotion, I look at our bank statements, Debt Crushing Mama workbook and/or the Every Dollar app to check on what has cleared, come out, and our daily balances EVERY SINGLE DAY! Why? Because I believe we need to stay on top of every single purchase, and every single bill. So if someone charges us more than what was allotted or budgeted, we know instantly. So stay on top of your tracking. What tracking works for you?

My 12 year old daughter counting her Tithing, Saving, and Spending categories from her FIRST JOB babysitting!

Simple habits grow into BIG RESULTS! So track, make simple changes, spend less, save more, tithe, and get 1 percent better every single day! James Clear in his book “Atomic Habits” talks about this in length, and I believe it applies in every single area of our lives. Get 1 percent better at budgeting, at saving, at spending less, at tracking. You can do it. Your money can grow EVEN in the chaos of life! Even in a pandemic! You can grow and be better and win with money! And guess friend, it starts today!

Until next time friends,

Shelly