By Jim Olsen
As I have shared with families various ways to better manage their finances, I have found that those who usually struggle financially are those who have not done any financial planning. Thus, when an opportunity arises to make a financial investment – whether in a car, a home or something of even lesser value – they really do not know whether or not they can afford it. The enticement of an “easy monthly payment” takes the place of whether or not they can even afford an extra monthly payment.
With the above in mind I have been asked, “How can we afford a Christian education for our children and the extra monthly payment that goes with it?”
To answer that, let me share some thoughts I believe can make it possible for anyone to afford a Christian education.
1. It is imperative that you have a budget that will show how you can afford an extra monthly payment for Christian education, in an already tight financial situation.
2. A budget is a system that reminds us that we can’t afford the kind of living that we have grown accustomed to. It also makes room for the kind of things we just can’t afford to do without.
3. It is not the monthly checks that we write out for the rent, mortgage or car payment, but the $5 here and the $10 there that makes us say each month: “Where did all our money go?”
4. A budget will help eliminate or at least reduce the wasteful and unplanned spending. You may be amazed when you see on paper where it all goes.
5. One reason we don’t think we can afford a Christian education is our friends are always buying something we don’t have and can’t afford…but we buy it anyway.
I challenge anyone who thinks they cannot afford a Christian education to first of all work out a budget to see if it is possible.
The real question is not: “Can we afford to provide our children with a Christian education?” but rather “Can we afford not to provide our children with a Christian education?”
It may be the most important investment you ever make; it is an investment that pays eternal dividends.
Volume 2 Issue 4 - The Renewanation Review
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