1. Save money before buying something, if you don’t have the money, you don’t get it
Dave Ramsey has made his living by re-teaching adults this simple lesson that many of them have seem to have forgotten. As the Proverb says, “The eyes of man are never satisfied.” We live in a nation (maybe even a world) where far too many people have forgotten “how to say “NO”. We teach our kids to use a piggy bank, and when they have saved up enough, then they can go buy an ice cream cone. We debate whether “college kids are mature enough to handle credit cards – but are we?
2. It doesn’t matter what other kids are doing
I still remember hearing, “if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow them?” in response to my longing to do what my friends were doing. It seems that as adults we play into that crowd-think much like kids. This “Keeping Up with the Joneses video illustrates the point so well. At times I have found myself so guilty of “seeking to impress others, but it seems that the path that yields the best results is the one less traveled!
3. Money isn’t a right or privilege – it is compensation for hard work
My parents did a pretty good job of driving this point home to my thick skull. Like many, I was a lazy “teenager that needed money and eventually figured out that by working I got more money. If I cut one lawn I would get $10, but if I cut two lawns I would get $20. It was a difficult concept to grasp, but I eventually got it! 
The government doesn’t owe us anything, we owe it to ourselves to discipline ourselves to work hard.
“He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.” Proverbs 28:19
4. If it seems too good to be true – it probably is!
I remember on numerous occasions getting excited about an opportunity presented to me and running off to my Dad only to tell him about it. His healthy dose of skepticism saved me a lot of wasted time and energy. I notice that there is always an abundance of scams to prey off of people willing to fall for them. I still get forwarded emails from people that promise that Bill Gates will pay them $450 for each person they forward it to as compensation for helping Microsoft test the email system. Seriously? Don’t you think Bill Gates would have a more cost-effective method for testing?Sometimes great opportunities present themselves, but it is always wise to tread cautiously.
5. You can be anything you want to be when you grow up
This is one that I forgot for while and am working on remembering again. I am so thankful for my recent career change and am looking forward to what the future has in store. I have a lot of other things that I want to do while I am on this earth, so I am working to fight off self-limiting thoughts. Life is too short to do something you don’t enjoy for all of it! God didn’t create us to spend 40 years in a job we hate! He has a better purpose and plan for our lives – but it requires our following after Him!
Better lesson on financial tips and views at Christian Personal Finance
