Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
No matter how many Charles Dickens’ novels you read, you’ll be hard pressed to find many true Ebenezer Scrooge characters in this world. While we can all be selfish and looking out for ourselves before others, I typically find that people err in the opposite direction, too. In fact, their giving spirit causes them to give away money they don’t have and shift their own finances into the red. This can obviously be a problem but with a little brainstorming you can figure out how to be generous without money.
But before we get there, just a few of observations:
A Good Gift = The Image of God in You
If your heart aches every time you hear about a mission trip, don’t despair. If you can’t resist buying a box of cookies, a ream of gift wrap, or a candy bar from a kid in need, take heart. If you’d love to bless your neighbors, friends, family, and people who make a difference in your community, that’s a good thing. Good news: God loves giving good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11) and the image of God within you, compels you to do the same. So when those desires creep up – unless you’re giving out of guilt or to manipulate, you are reflecting an amazing characteristic of a generous God.
Giving & Putting Groceries on a Credit Card Isn’t a Gift
Can we have a little come to Jesus moment together? If you’re giving to a mission trip or a charitable cause or a fancy birthday gift for a friend and then turning around to put your living expenses on a credit card, that’s not really a gift. If you don’t have the cash flow to support it, you’re making an unwise choice and eventually such choices will catch up with you. You’ll discover that the gift you wanted to give was paid for 2 to 3 more times than necessary. Be wise about how much you give in relationship to your household finances.
You Can’t Buy from Every Fundraiser
In Slaying the Debt Dragon, I talk about my inability to resist cute little sales people. I’m a sucker for cute kids hitting me up to support their team/school/troop/cause. However, none of us have limitless resources. You need to decide here and now that you’re unable to buy from every fundraiser or support every mission trip. Living within your means is more important than supporting that school.
If you do have money that you can spare to donate or give, set a specific budget and use it only for those purposes. You can monitor the account and then the money is gone, it’s gone.
Your Presence is More Valuable Than Anything
Look, I know it sounds incredibly cheesy and cliche but, your presence always means more than your presents. Six years from now, your friend won’t care about the trinket you bought at the card store. However, they will remember the time that you sat with them when they needed someone to talk to. They will remember if you cleaned their house or brought them dinner or simply asked to go on a walk together. Give your time, not your money. It’s an investment you’ll never regret.
Clean Out Your Cabinets for Care Packages
My husband Brian and I have a deep passion for mentoring college students. Over the years, this passion has taken many forms including enlisting our community group to send out a high volume of packages to students away for their first semester of higher learning. Instead of hitting the dollar section or going to the warehouse club for bulk snacks, we decided to have all of our friends clean out their kitchen cabinets, bringing the olds and ends they could find to bless some of our favorite young adults. Granted, some of the packages were a little odd (especially that one with the canned chili and the fiber bars); however, each student responded with a thoughtful thank you card. Our community group’s large tribe of children also drew some of their best pictures for us to include in the boxes. The majority of young men and women commented on how much they loved that simple artwork out of all of the things we have sent.
Homemade Gifts vs. the $5 Gift Card
Where my Martha Stewart buddies at? Oh how I admire you. However, I am as uncrafty as possible. In fact, I had to give away my glue gun after an “incident” where I left it on and then left the house (WHOOPS). It’s oh-so-easy to get caught up in a cute DIY without counting the entire cost. If that homemade gift is going to cost you more to make than a store bought version, you need a new plan. Over the years, we’ve become big fans of the $5 gift card. Not only will it not take a bite out of our budget, it also allows you to bless others in a concrete way and they get to pick out items they love. Typically I cash in rewards points to snag a variety of cards that I can give either via snail mail or e-mail.
Tips to Save Money When Taking a Meal
Oh the meal registry sign ups! You have a friend who just had a baby. You want to help. You have another friend who is having a transplant or is suffering from hard times. And you want to meet their needs and show them who Jesus truly is in a concrete manner. Enter doing what we call “Loving people with a pie.” Bringing a meal can take a load off your friend’s shoulders and provide something they need and might have the time to prepare or even shop for groceries. You can be sure they are both saving time but also eating an taking dime to care for their body.
I have four specific tips for taking a meal without breaking the bank. Of them my favorite tactic is to double whatever we’re already having for dinner and take half of it to someone in need. I also try to keep things very simple – including a main course, a vegetable, a fruit, and a dessert. I’ll be honest, sometimes in the past the vegetable has been carrot sticks and the fruit was a jar of applesauce. The freedom of this framework allows me to rest in knowing that both my friend in need will be well fed and that any food is often considered a very good gift.
You can ALWAYS Pray
Listen, I know you want to give to your friend’s mission trip. I know you want to bless that graduate with a gift. However, it just might be possible. Again, it might sound oversimplified but praying for someone is a much better contribution to their well being and potential than tossing money in their general direction. If we truly believe in the power of prayer, setting aside a time to specifically and intentionally pray for those who you love is worth more than any monetary gift.
Yes, you might have to be creative. Yes, you may feel “cheap.” However, if you are responsible with your money in the short term, you’ll be able to give more in the future. While we were paying off $127K in debt, not being able to give often was SO difficult for me. But in the last two years since becoming debt free we have given away money left and right and it is SO fun. From wowing someone with a box of a cash to showing up on a doorstep to fill a refrigerator with groceries. From books to cups of coffee to mission trip funds, we’ve been able to bless others far beyond our hopes and imaginations simply because we sacrificed for four years of our lives. We have many more years ahead of us (hopefully) and we’ll continue to give and encourage.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
Great article! This is something I struggle with ALL the time. I work at an elementary school so there is always an abundance of children in scouts, t-ball, dance or whatever that are doing a fundraiser. I feel so GUILTY when I can’t buy from them. There’s a few things I’ve started doing to fulfill my spirit of giving.
One- I offer to donate $5 or sometimes $10 to a fundraiser instead of buying a piece of junk thing I don’t need from a catalog for $20 or $30. Sometimes this is even better because the organization gets 100% of my money instead of 40% or whatever deal they’ve struck with the fundraising company.
Two- I volunteer my time. Time is money! So whenever I volunteer at the church or the animal shelter or the FFA show, I can feel less guilt when I have to say “No.” to giving money. Plus volunteering is a great way to meet new people and see what the cause is really about.
Three- I save good stuff that I don’t want anymore. I have a spare room in my house and I keep a couple things that I don’t need anymore (mini- fridge from college, coffee pot, some cups I never opened, etc.). Then I keep my eyes and ears peeled for someone in need of basic things. Then I can bless them with my “goodies”. I admit this type might not work for everyone, like if you don’t have extra room in your house, but for me it works!