Financial Resources

When we track our spending, we start to get a good understanding of where our money is going. This Spending Tracker tool will help you to use this principle to move in the right direction on your financial journey. You can see an example of the Spending Tracker Worksheet below.

Once we have tracked where our money is going, we can organize where and when we spend it. The Spending Organizer tool helps you organize your spending into five categories: NEED, WANT, DEBT, SAVINGS, and GENEROSITY. You will place each line item, such as groceries, mortgages, subscriptions, and giving, into the appropriate category.

At Christ Fellowship, we believe in a financial model called Give, Save, & Live. When we look at our finances, we want to Give our first 10% back to God through the Tithe, Save the next 5%, and Live off 85% of our income. Once we have tracked and organized our spending, the Give | Save | Live tool will help you achieve your Give, Save, & Live goal.

The Debt-Elimination Snowball tool is a debt reduction strategy that helps you pay off your debts from smallest to largest. As you knock out your debts one by one, the amount of money you have to throw at the rest of your debt grows—kind of like a snowball rolling down a hill (hence the name). And the excitement you get from paying off your smallest debt super quick will motivate you to keep plowing through your debt, all the way to that debt-free finish line!

The Quick-Start Budget tool is a helpful starting point for your budgeting journey. It will show you how much money you need to cover your necessities every month. You can view sample budgets to help you get started. Your budget goal should be a zero-balance budget—meaning you take your total income and subtract your total expenses.

Here are other online resources and tools to help you on your financial journey.