Kick Your Bad Habits and Make New Ones

What makes a bad habit?

Something you’ve been doing for years that only makes your situation worse.

A good habit may be hard to develop at first, but changing what you already do now will make life much easier in the long run. Consider what you might be doing right now that causes hardships on you financially. Are you a spender? Are you late on payments? Do you keep your documents organized? There are so many little things we can do to get ourselves on a better path financially, so let’s take a look at some ideas on how to fix our bad habits.

Here are some examples of things you might need to work through:

1. Putting expenses on your credit card and not paying them off at the end of the month
2. Assuming you’re too young or too old to start investing for the future
3. Having debt left to pay off, other than student loans or mortgage
4. Keeping all of your money in a checking account
5. Impulse shopping- failing to learn to buy what you actually need
6. Waiting to start your financial planning until after you’re married
7. Only focusing on yourself without doing any charitable giving
8. Not having a firm grasp on your budget, knowing when to save
9. Not saving a set amount automatically out of every paycheck
10. Ignoring coupons
11. Living beyond your means

Many people go through the fear of facing their habits and not knowing whether they can change. The good news is, we have the victory in Christ to change, and God is doing a new work in us! Romans 12:2 states this clearly, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

He does not want us to spend time in our old habits, because this distracts us from truly working hard to become stewards of His resources.

So what do we do now? How do we change our habits that we’ve developed for years? The first tip is to pick just one. Don’t tackle on all of them just yet, but instead, pick one habit that really hinders your stewardship, and work on it for 30 days. Set your mind to it, and after 30 days, you will see the fruit of your labor. Whether it be at a certain time of day, or as a trigger from something else, purpose in your heart to lean on the Lord and not your own way of doing things.

Here are some good habits to look towards and to replace your bad habits:

1. De-cluttering  & Organizing your financial papers
2. Saving up for a purchase (avoiding credit)
3. Using a 30-day list for all non-essential purchases-(When you desire something, don’t purchase it immediately, put it on a list and look at it 30 days later to see if you really need it.)
4. Pay your bills right when you get them
5. Take 20 minutes a week to update your budget
6. Search through the 2,000 verses that speak on money/possessions
7. Use an envelope system (only cash)
8. Find accountability in a friend

Remember, practice makes perfect, and the Lord loves to see His children honoring Him in their everyday lives.  Think about what you might need to change, consider that the Lord needs to be your rock and security, not your finances.

Do you have a bad habit you want to kick? Share it below!

By: Erika from Faithful with Finances