Family Finance

This week we talked about the importance of finances within a family. It was interesting that we started the week by talking about women getting jobs. Most people think that it is ideal for both parents in a family to work, however, it actually causes many problems. Compared to a stay-at-home-mom, the working woman has to pay for childcare and other expenses that would otherwise not be there if she stayed at home. We looked at an article this week that was called Does a Fulltime Homemaker Swap Her Mind for a Mop?. The title is pretty self-explanatory on what this article was about. Some people have the idea that women who stay at home and choose child rearing over a profession don't learn anything. This rubbed me the wrong way because there is so much that can be learned from children. I think it would be selfish to deny children of your love and affection just so you could go off to work. Or even denying people the right to come to Earth for that matter. You would choose a profession to get more money and to have more personal gain than to allow a spirit of our Heavenly Father the chance to experience mortal life. Kudos to those women who choose to be there for their children. To help and teach them about this life and this beautiful world. What a blessing it is to be cared for and loved.
We looked through a pamphlet by Elder Marvin J. Ashton called One for the Money. In this pamphlet, it lays out the important aspects of finances for families. We were asked to go through and tell which points in this booklet would be the top three most important when it comes to family finance. As I looked through, I found that each point was very important but it all came down to one thing for me. Budget. When you have a budget, every other aspect seems to fall into place. Tithing would be right up there with budgeting. If you don't honor the Lord, how do you expect Him to honor you? He will bless us in our finances when we put him first as well as bless us in other aspects of life.
Some other important things would include insurance, debt elimination, teaching the family early how to work and earn things and not just be handed what they want, and generosity. Generosity is a concept that touches me deeply. I have been the recipient of much generosity and it brings me near tears when I think of how generous people have been towards me. This includes giving up time, talents, money, skills and many other things. Being generous can inspire people to be generous as well. Even if they don't know who the giver was, they can still see the example of someone out there with enough love for their fellow man to be generous with what the Lord blessed them with.