Hi. Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for the Money Course.
Have you ever known someone whose money decisions drove you crazy? The kind of people who spend on a new bathroom, when you can see the roof is going to leak any day? The Grandma who saves all her money in the cookie jar, instead of investing in something that earns interest? The friend who can never come out for dinner because they’re always broke?
Sometimes we forget that there are different attitudes around money – not everyone sees is the same way! It comes down to our personalities, our family history, experiences, and more.
It also comes down to what one believes about life in this world – is everything given by God, or are we on our own?
This is why Jesus spoke so much about money – more in fact than sex, or any of those other hot button issues that people think Christians are supposed to be most concerned with!
Jesus gives some specific guidance about money for anyone who wants to follow him – and it’s challenging advice! It sometimes goes counter to the prevailing wisdom in the world about money. But he knew that money was powerful, and could become such a focus in our lives it would distract our attention away from God. That’s why he said no one can serve two masters: God and money!
As we’ll explore in this course, there are some common tools that can help us as well – things like budgets. What differs for a Christian budget isn’t the mechanism or the math, but simply the principles that inform decisions on what stays and goes.
But to start, we have a quiz for you to complete and determine your money type:
PDF What’s Your Money Type Quiz or:
| 1. How would you describe your relationship with money?
a) Love-hate: I love spending it but hate the bills! b) It slips through my fingers – there’s never quite enough. c) I love money and plan to be seriously rich d) More would be nice, but I’m careful with what I’ve got. e) I couldn’t bear to lose the money I’ve got. 2. How do you feel about borrowing money? a) If they’re prepared to lend it, I’m happy to borrow it. b) I sometimes have to borrow to get by, which is a worry. c) To make money, you have to be prepared to borrow some. d) I’m happy to borrow money to make money. e) I’d never borrow! Interest is money down the drain. 3. If you won $100,000 on the lottery, what would you do? a) Blow the lot in a fortnight. b) Try to save some, but I’d probably end up spending most of it. c) Start my own business. d) Save a big chunk and have fun with the rest. e) Save every penny. 4. You’re having a birthday party, what are your plans? a) Call in a fantastic caterer and crack open the bubbly. b) Pick up loads of party food from the supermarket c) Book a top restaurant and hope someone will offer to pay for my meal. d) Use my recipe books to cook up a storm. e) Ask everyone to bring food and drink to share. 5. How does shopping make you feel? a) It gives me a buzz b) Excited but I sometimes feel guilty afterwards c) Frustrated that I sometimes feel guilty afterwards d) Satisfied at being able to afford what I need. e) I’m often horrified by the high prices. |
| 6. Congratulations, you’ve had a baby! Here’s $100. What do you buy?
a) Designer bootees. b) Diapers. c) Some technology shares…for the baby. d) Nothing, I’d put it in my baby’s RESP. e) Nothing, I’d put it in my own savings account. 7. Saving money is: a) Boring, I want to live for today. b) Something I know I should be doing. c) A waste of time. You have to take risks to make real money. d) Important, I try to put money aside for a rainy day. e) Very important, I save as much as I can each month. 8. How do you feel when your credit card bill arrives? a) Panicked! b) A bit worried – it’s usually more than I’m expecting. c) Not worried. I’ll clear my debts when I’m earning big money. d) Fine. I’ll pay it all of straight away. e) I don’t have a credit card. 9. By the end of the month… a) I’ve got no idea what I’ve spent, but it’s bound to be more than I’ve earned. b) I’m usually a bit overdrawn, I seem to get by though. c) I’ve borrowed from friends or family – but only until things work out. d) I have enough left in the bank for emergencies. e) I’ve managed to save even more than last month. 10. What plans do you have for your retirement? a) I don’t want to think about getting old. b) I know I should have a pension but haven’t got around to getting it sorted yet. c) I’ll retire once I’ve made a few millions. d) I have a pension and savings plans that I try to stick to. e) I put every penny I can into my pension and savings.
What’s Your Money Type – The Results |