Getting Started

     Just had a fascinating conversation with my pastor.  I'm a member of Poquoson Baptist Church in Poquoson, VA.  Our pastor, John Pouchot, is an honorable man of God whose honest desire is to see the people in the church get closer and deeper with God.

     As I said before, I'm a Christian, and unashamedly so.  My wife and I base all our financial teaching on biblical principles.  Our pastor knows that, and has asked us to offer our class at our church!

     So now that you know that I'm teaching a class, it would probably be a good idea to let people in on what the class will cover.  It's broken into five/six lessons.  They all alliterate, because I'm a good Southern Baptist, after all.  The classes are Budgeting Basics, Smart Saving, Debt Destruction, Family Finances, Cost Cutting, and the optional (but highly recommended) Generous Giving.  

     These six classes are based on my foundation philosophy (which kinda alliterates).  That philosophy is that you start with budgeting.  Once you're budgeting properly, you can begin really saving.  Once saving becomes a discipline, debt elimination becomes possible.  Debt elimination allows for better wealth building.  The underlying motivation for the entire process (and therefore both the top and bottom of the foundations) is giving.

     Let me break that down for your piece by piece.  Budgeting, for most people, is a nightmare.  It feels like shackles on your life that takes away all your fun.  But you're missing an important aspect of budgeting if you fear it:  YOU are in charge of your budget.  It will only limit your life if you make it do so.  A properly balanced budget will not only allow you to enjoy your life more but it will actually feel like a raise!  We'll be teaching a zero-based budget in our class, and soon I'll have another post all about what that is and what it entails.

     Saving is a need, because when you have money in the bank, breathing gets a little easier.  Unexpected events are not really unexpected, because they happen to everyone.  So having an emergency fund is a necessity.  Whether small or large, the amount you have in savings is directly proportionate to the level of relaxation your life can have.  We will also teach people to save for purchases, and ultimately save for wealth.  Look for an all out savings post in the future.

     Debt is a serious problem in our culture, so we want to help people break through the myths associated with debt and see the freedom of living without it.  This is a HUGE topic and will likely be the source of the majority of my posts, tweets, and the like.  We teach a simple idea:  DEBT IS DUMB.  My wife and I paid off our debts other than our house, and our next major goal is to live in a paid off house.  Just imagine what you could do if you didn't have any payments.  The average american household pays almost $2,000 to debts each month.  That's an extra $2,000 that could go towards investments, giving, and purchases.

     Your family is something you should want to keep.  Money affects all your family relationships.  When you're married, it's not "my money" and "her money," it's "OUR money."  That being said, if you don't learn to work together you will have a hard time winning with money.  People who tend to win with money tend to win with relationships too.  We'll also be giving tips on how to teach money handling to your kids.

     Cost cutting is a fun way to save money.  We'll teach proper couponing, where to find good deals, how to buy good used stuff, and how to negotiate prices with integrity.

     Lastly, giving is the most fun you'll have with money.  It's the most important thing we can do with money. Getting to the point where you really understand that your money isn't yours will free you to give generously and bless those around you.  We are just asset managers for God.  It's all His, after all.

     Come back soon for expanded posts on all these topics and even more.  I'll try to keep things short and to the point, I know you have a busy life just like I do.
     *EDIT*
     If you're in the Newport News area and want to attend my class done through the City of Newport News, visit the registration site at https://activenet009.active.com/nnparksrectourism/

Remember, I'm not teaching rocket science, I'm just teaching Common Cents.  (Yeah...I know it's cheesy but I have to have a tagline of some kind...give me suggestions if you have any!)

-Heath

PS:  You can now follow me on twitter @commoncentsnn!  Look for a facebook page soon too!