As my desire to move out on my own increases I am noticing financial barriers that are in the way. From watching Stacey Flowers and her journey to financial freedom and peace, I know that there are somethings that I need to clean up before I move out on my own.
As I was driving to work this morning I heard God say that I need to clean up some things in my personal life while he takes care of my long list of requests. So, I asked myself, am I doing my part? I have asked God for the blessing, and by grace he has said yes, but I also have to do my part.
My part feels heavy and it feels like I’m an ant trying to climb Mount Everest. However, faith without works is dead (James2:17) and hastiness is unwise (Proverbs 21:5). I must slow myself down and put one foot in front of the other, day after day. God knows there is no way for me to swallow down everything at once, he hasn’t asked me to.
….breathe Kaitlin.
My first step is to comb through my finances with a fine toothed comb and analyze my financial foundation. I don’t pay any rent or utilities right now, so there is no way that I should be living paycheck to paycheck.
What is living paycheck to paycheck any way? I’ve heard people say it my whole life, but if living paycheck to paycheck is all that I am used to, then of course I can’t develop financial freedom habits. I don’t even KNOW that I am living this way and that it’s contributing to my financial insecurities.
I found the answer to my question in this article. It defined living paycheck to paycheck as “an expression used to describe an individual who would be unable to meet financial obligations if unemployed because his or her salary is predominantly devoted to expenses….. Regular expenses can include services and items based on one’s lifestyle rather than absolute necessity….. Persons subsisting paycheck to paycheck have limited or no savings and are at greater financial risk if suddenly unemployed than individuals who have amassed a cushion of savings”.
These statements helped me see not only that I am living paycheck to paycheck but it clarified the “how”. It helped me to see that my spending habits and lack of budgeting is putting in me in a position where if I was to lose my job, car breaks down, or a medical issue arises, I would be a financial burden vs. having money set aside for times like these. It is also saying that if my monthly expenses are equal to or greater than my income, that is an issue.
Saying these things aloud makes sense and are so obvious, but we don’t know what we don’t know.
In an article I read, titled, You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, it stated,“Fate has a way of working in strange ways. Not every disappointment is a bad thing. The trick is to stay positive and proactive, even when you mess up…. It takes some time to tell the difference between a mess and a blessing. Be patient”. At this point I am thanking God for clarity and peace because I find money and budgeting stressful and was feeling hopeless.
Now that we do know what we know, let’s give ourselves grace and clean up our financial mess.
-Kaitlin Alexander