Keep the Change: Managing Your Money Wisely Sýnishorn

Austin and Tiffanie are a young couple who managed to take a few trips around the world while still paying off $55,000 in debt in four years. Yes, you read that right. But before you dismiss their story as something that could never happen to you, know that it definitely wasn’t always easy for them. In fact, when they first got married, they were having to dip into savings each month just to pay the bills. So, how did they go from living in the red to being debt-free and living generously? Here’s what they said. 

We paid off $55,000 in four years. Honestly, when we started out, it felt like it was so far away. Our plan was to pay it off in 10 years. But what you don’t realize is the momentum and the excitement that you feel as you start to pay it off. And then as you get into it, you just want to throw everything that you have at it. And often, if you have a good plan, you actually end up paying off debt a lot quicker than you anticipated. At least that was the case for us.

But you have to make it work for you. Here are a few lessons we’ve learned from paying off our debt and making generosity a priority.

1. Be intentional about the small things.  

Small things can add up to $400 or $500 in your budget so quickly without you realizing it. But if you’re intentional about making sure that they don’t, then you have a good amount of money to put toward something that you’re really passionate about. We try not to give in to instant gratification, and we try to make sure that the spending decisions we’re making are ones we’re actually going to be happy with a week from now or a year from now. 

2. Make your budget based on your values. 

You have to decide what is important to you. For us, it’s important to spend time together and to take trips together. So that became a priority, whereas some people we know didn’t travel until they were done paying off debt. Set a budget for how much you want to spend, and try to stick to it. And make sure it’s going toward the things you value most. 

3. Start with God. 

We agreed from the day we got married that we would tithe together. Tithing and generosity are the top line of our budget. We believe Scripture is clear about that. And we’ve already seen God’s provision in our life because of that. So that was kind of the baseline. No matter what state our finances are in, we’re going to commit to returning to God our first 10 percent. Then beyond that, there’s a verse that has kind of guided us: 

The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. Proverbs 11:24 MSG

It’s not like God is a vending machine. It’s not like you put a dollar in and get $10 out. He doesn’t work that way, but God looks for people and for places where He knows that person’s going to be generous. And if we’re not generous with what we have today, why would we expect God to bless us more?

4. Stay consistent. 

No matter where you’re starting, you have the opportunity to honor God and to make a difference. If you’re going to put five dollars a month toward debt, just do it and stay consistent. The more you put toward it, the more motivation you’ll have to pay it off. 

God multiplies what we give. It’s like the story of the fishes and loaves. It’s not about the amount; it’s about what God can do through your obedience and through your generosity. And that builds your faith in such a big way. So, you might feel like you’re not even making a dent in your debt right now or that your giving is so small, it’s not even making an impact. But that’s a human perspective. God’s perspective on things is so different, and He will change your heart and hopefully allow you to see the impact that your giving has.