KFLCC Kingdom Economics

F INANCIAL S ECURITY IN THE L AST D AYS

they wish they had kept the money because when they need it, they don’t have it. Perhaps they experience a job layoff or some other emergency that they were unprepared for. Spending wisely includes shopping for a good deal on personal and household goods. My wife and I were going on vacation and I needed a few items of clothing. We went to a well-known store and the items were double the price I wanted to pay. We walked down the street to a store that was having a sale, and we saved between fifty and seventy-five percent on everything. Another way that some people save money is by using coupons. Local newspapers, especially on Sunday, offer a variety of coupons from stores and restaurants around town. Some grocery stores designate one day a week as double coupon day, and others designate a senior’s discount day. Here again is another word of caution: do not buy something just because it is on sale. Buy only what you need. Compulsive shoppers will buy something that they never use, and years later, donate it to a charity. While this is good for the charity, it is not good for your wallet. Even grocery story couponing can get out of hand when you purchase things that you will never use. There are people who spend hours every week searching for coupons and bargains, and they might buy thirty bottles of barbecue sauce because they can purchase them for twenty cents a bottle. Again, even though it might be a bargain, why spend money on something you will never use before the expiration date? The same holds true when you find a deal that is across town. It is not wise to waste the gas to drive twenty miles just so you can save fifty cents on an item, because you spend more on gas to drive there than you save on the item. Some of these suggestions sound like common sense that all should have, but occasionally people get their eyes set on the bargain without considering the wisdom of the purchase. Even cautious spending requires wisdom. When done properly, this principle of looking for bargains helps you save money by controlling spending. A dollar saved or a dollar not wasted is a dollar earned, because any money that you save is money that remains in your pocket. Just as your tithe is for God’s storehouse (Mal. 3:10), your personal savings is for your own personal storehouse. 6. U SE C AUTION W HEN L OANING M ONEY Most of us want to help friends and family as much as we possibly can, but

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