The Beilharz budget
Wednesday, 25 June, 2003
Last Wednesday I did a training course at work called Accounting Fundamentals. Even though I used to handle all the financial stuff in the School of English, my supervisor suggested I go just to make sure I knew the basic stuff. I thought it would be good for me to go too; I've never thought of myself as being particularly good with money. But it turned out that I knew a lot more than I thought I did about accounting. That night, I was so inspired I went through all of our financial stuff.
I wanted to make sure that we could still survive on our current income given that it's significantly reduced from last year. I also wanted to see how much we spent on stuff per year over the past three years. And finally, I wanted to see if we could boost our giving and help out others in need (like FEVA who are running 50% behind budget this year).
A couple of interesting facts emerged:
- We can survive on our current income so long as Ben can raise the amount that AFES is committed to paying him.
- Rent is still our highest expense.
- We can up our giving and still finish the year in the black.
- We are spending more on giving than on food.
The last point encouraged me because I know that I can have such a hard heart when it comes to giving and giving generously towards the work of the gospel. Ever since I heard Andrew Hingston speak about giving and financial management, I've been inspired to be more diligent in that area. (Many of the things he said appear in an article called “A Call to be Financially Adventurous” which he wrote for us last year.) Starting ministry training has helped because, in a sense, I'm now on the other side of the “fence”; being the recipient of other people's generosity towards us, not just the giver.
So now we've added another two recipients to our giving list. Hopefully in the future we can add many more!!
Blinks:
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Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
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I am really impressed by your attitude to giving, Karen—it would be wise to try and emulate how you manage your money. Spending more on giving than on food is fantastic (and, to one who has grown up in a family of six, almost inconceivable)!