How to Manage Your Money

 How to Manage Your Money

— a Whiteboard Animation

Hey there!

You both landed jobs, eh?

Mom and Dad will be proud!

First payday?

What are you going to do with all that money?

Hmm.

Everybody needs it.

Of course, every job has its difficulties and inconveniences.

But our hard-earned money can give us the power to buy and do lots of things.

It can help us meet our physical needs and can buy other things that we might want.

There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind about money.

Keep money in its place.

No, we’re not talking about a physical place like a bank.

Keep your priorities straight.

Be ‘rich with God,’ the Bible says.

Take time to get to know him, to be his friend.

He’ll help you be content with what you have.

You’ll be happier—whether you have a lot or a little—and you’ll make him happy too.

At Proverbs 23:5, the Bible says that money can “sprout wings like an eagle and fly off into the sky!”

So it’s important to learn now how to take care of your money so that when you need it, it’s there to take care of you!

First, make a plan for your money, otherwise called a budget.

Make a list of the things you need and how much each costs.

Good.

Now, add a few things you want and how much each costs.

Add it all up.

Now, compare that with how much money you’ll earn each week.

Hmm.

Are these things so important that you need to spend most, or all, of your money on them?

You might need to put off some of those wants because it’s also good to save some money.

You know, put money away for a time when you’ll need it.

At Ecclesiastes 9:11, the Bible says “time and unexpected events” can overtake any of us.

It’s smart to have something set aside for yourself just in case you need it or to help someone else.

Or you may need something that costs more than you can earn in a week, or a month—even a year.

So each week, save some money so that—wait.

What?

You don’t want to wait?

Oh, credit.

Well, you could do that.

But credit carries a cost called interest, and it can really add up.

When you lose track of the things you buy on credit, you can easily end up paying much more for everything you buy.

Sometimes it can take years and years and years to pay off credit-card debt.

So have a plan for your money, stay within your budget, save for the unexpected, and avoid unnecessary debt so you can spend more time getting to know God.

Now that’s how to manage your money!