After The Message | Budgeting and Living Debt Free

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Welcome back to another special episode of After the Message.

We are on the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

And like I said, you're listening to our segment After the Message with it, which is typically a conversation of the previous Sunday sermon.

However, uh a little bit different look this season.

We're talking about finances, and we're getting to hear from some special people in our congregation here at Celebration Church Orlando.

So if you don't come to the church, you're missing out on cool people.

Today I have Tina Eubanks.

I almost used the old uh the old maiden name there, but uh got the new one updated here.

Tina, welcome.

Thanks so much for being here.

Thanks.

I'm excited to be here.

Yeah, glad you're here.

And uh for those who don't know you, uh let's start here.

Talk a little bit about, well, say, let's say how long you've been coming to Celebration and talk a little bit about um what you do when you're not at church on Sundays or in a group on Saturdays um sweating with the other women who lead the health and wellness group for our women of the church.

Um okay, so I've been coming to Celebration since 2010.

I started in Jacksonville.

Okay.

I moved down here for Celebration Orlando.

Okay.

Um, the job that I work for Blue Cross with Shield of Florida, I do investment accounting.

And when I went to them and said, you know, I'm either quitting at the end of the month or if I can work remote, that would be awesome.

And like they came back a couple hours later and just like we want you to stay on.

So I started working remote and I moved on here in 2017.

So a couple years after the church, three years after the church opened.

Yeah.

Um, but I was here for the first service.

No way.

September, yeah.

So um outside of here, like I said, I do investment accounting, so I'm in spreadsheets every single day.

But yeah, I've been going to celebration for a long time.

It doesn't feel like that long, but like when I was like, oh, I started coming in 2010, because the journals I started started in 2010, January 2010.

I was on those like January 1st people like, sure, I'll go.

After my best friend asked me for probably like six, seven months, and I was just like, I don't know.

It's I remember what church was like.

And so when she finally when I finally said yes, I should have known the fact that she was saying, like, come to this non-denominational church because she grew up Catholic.

So the fact that she was like, please come, I should have known.

But like once I came the first time, it was just like, this is what I've been missing.

Really?

Yeah.

And so um, it's kind of funny because when I we first started switching over to Celebration Orlando, you know, they asked us for those of us who were going to like switch our tithes over.

And so I remember um Pastor Turner said, like, oh, you know, I'm gonna send out thank you cards to the top 10 givers.

And I was like, Oh, that's pretty nice.

And I got a card, and I was like, Oh my gosh, like if I'm a top 10, then how is this church gonna survive?

Because back then it was just like I'm not making not enough to help support a a church.

So that's just like one of those things that you know when you think your tithe doesn't do anything, even though it's like small, like it really can contribute.

So, like, since I I mean that January message was like about tithing.

So I've been tithing ever since.

Like, so to me, it's like the biggest part of any finances or budgeting that I do is the tithe.

Um, because I've seen this 90% that's left go so much farther.

Um, I mean, we could get into like all the debt that I paid too, because I just put like God first.

It was a big surrender for me.

Like, I think that's just anybody's walk with God is just kind of like surrendering pieces slowly.

And that was like one of the pieces of my life I had to just kind of be like, I'm under the weight of all this debt.

Like, how am I ever gonna get out of it?

And so, like that 10% is just like, especially when you're doing budgeting, it's kind of just like you're listing it all out, and it's like I don't really feel like I have the 10% to give.

And so I was just like, I just have to do it.

Um so I did it.

Yeah, and then I paid off all my debt.

So I it's one of the like top things for budgeting for me.

It's like paycheck and then the rest.

Tithing and then the rest.

So you're saying that first series that you were exposed to at Celebration Orlando was about giving, is that right, and tithing specifically?

And so you know, in the church world, there's a little bit of a stigma where you talk about, well, you know, new people coming in, you gotta kind of put a precursor there, disclaimer, like, hey, we don't always talk about that.

You know what I mean?

Because you don't wanna you you don't wanna scare people off by saying all the church wants is my money.

And Pastor Keith even talked about that in week one of the message about gave arguments against that.

But for you, it was actually something that transformed your life.

Yeah.

I didn't even really have to struggle with it too much.

I was tithing after tax, and then it came up again that it should be pre.

And I was like, oh yeah, like I didn't, I just remember that day being like, I'm sorry, God, like I didn't mean to jip you.

Like, uh I hope my I don't want my money to like not go further because you know, I just I didn't realize that.

So pre-tax I started tithing.

Um and like it was, you know, you do hear a lot of like stories where it's kind of like, oh, I tithed for the first time and I got a check for like a thousand dollars.

Like that was definitely not my story.

That was it took a while.

Like, I didn't see like the benefits of it, but I think like that's I almost feel like if I had seen it immediately, I might have not continued.

Okay.

For me, it was something I had to continually give to God because one of the things I did the fast too when I first started.

It was like all that it was tithing, fasting.

I was like, oh, I'm in, like, let me try this fasting thing.

And that was one of the things I was fasting about because I had student loan debt, like everything added together with my car and all that stuff.

It was like, you know, 70 grand.

Wow.

Um, and so when you're looking at that, you're just like, how am I ever gonna pay this off?

Like, I'm not making over 70 grand a year.

So it's like, how am I gonna get there?

So it was just kind of like a slow process.

It was just like I would get promotions, I got raises, like, um it was probably maybe quicker than it had been prior to tithing.

You know what I'm saying?

So it's like I'd gone the only way that I got a raise before was literally switching jobs.

And then it was like it wasn't that way anymore.

It was actually happening where I was working um in bigger leaps than it had previously to tithing.

But it was not like here's my tithe, and then here's a big raise.

Like it took like a year before I saw like okay, like, you know, like adjust and it would come in when I needed it.

So it was like my rent was about to go up because I had to get my own place, and like the raise would have covered covered exactly what I needed it to to like cover that.

So um, yeah, like it was once I started doing it, like I the sacrifice of it was not really sacrifice because I heard stories about the 90% going further, and then it actually like I can say it actually went further.

Yeah, speak to that a little bit more, like practically, what it what does that mean?

And maybe you don't have to give like specifics if you do have a specific story, maybe so, but 90% going further than if you had a hundred percent to work with, like what does that mean to you?

Okay, so like the 90%, like also it was me taking responsibly myself with the budgeting.

Cause like I was they don't teach you that in school.

Right.

I think it's like one of the most basic things that we kind of get gypped in, like college, high school, you don't ever learn anything about finances.

Um, and I was living kind of like here's what I get paid, this is all that's due this week, all my money's going out, but I don't have enough left over for groceries, so I'm putting it on a credit card.

And then the next week would come and I don't have as many bills, but I have more money, so now I can go do things, you know, and I just wasn't being very smart about my money.

Um, the first time I really heard about a budget, my best friend's husband did the financial piece university.

And she just kind of like quickly explained to me like the you know, like you put your total what you make for the month, like everything that's like priority down, um the necessities and then you just kind of calculate it from there.

And I was just like, oh, how did I like this seems obvious, but unless someone really tells you, you really have no idea.

It's very different when you and then I'm a spreadsheet girl, so of course, like it's in a spreadsheet, and I did it, I calculated it out and put all the dates that everything was due, and then it was kind of like just allocating that money appropriately.

So, like the second paycheck of the month, I'd be like, Okay, like, well, part of this has to go to rent.

So, like, let me not spend$500 of this so that it can go to rent appropriately.

Yeah.

Um, and just doing it that way, like just tracking every cent.

I mean, I know so many people who are just like, oh, I just like check my online bank account, and if there's money there, you know, like it just, I mean, it really is like irresponsible.

I mean, I was doing the same thing, like I would get my paycheck when I worked at Publix on Fridays.

It was cash, it would be gone by the end of the weekend, you know.

Like that was in college, so I definitely was not budgeting in college, that's for sure.

Um, but it was like the continuing to like put stuff on a credit card that was not necessary, and it was just slowly following like the Dave Ramsey steps.

I did get the total money makeover.

I never did Financial Peace University myself, um, but the total total money makeover book was really great.

And I just like built a spreadsheet around the percentages and stuff that he had on there.

Um, and when I decided to pay off my stuff, that budget was a huge thing for me because I could see.

I think that's the thing is seeing that it was possible.

Um, you know, his philosophy is like build up the thousand dollars first.

That felt like it took forever, but like once that was built, then the next money goes into the next thing.

And um, there were things that happened that seemed like negative things.

Like I was in a car accident, like I was fine, everybody was fine, but it totaled my car.

But I got a check for like three thousand dollars.

So I used that to pay off like two of my debts.

And I did get a new car, but I knew exactly like I did so much research that when I went in there to negotiate, I was just like, this is what I'm paying.

And like I knew exactly what I want needed the car payment to be, so I could like pay off what I needed.

Um and so like that's how I um had approached it was like everything that every decision that I made was kind of just like how does this fit into this?

Like, can I even afford it?

Um, like, and the only reason I even bought a new car is like it's it was a basic car.

Like they don't make those anymore, so it's not like you know what I mean.

And I was a single girl, I don't know anything about cars, so I was just like, I need something that like I don't have to worry about or think about.

Um I know plenty of people who like my husband, DJ, he when we first started dating, he had a truck.

You know, that was like a$500 car payment.

And so he realized himself, like, this is not the best thing.

So he sold it I think in 2021 or 22, whatever year we're like they were buying back like used cars for more than he had like left on it.

And so he switched out his car to like a$3,000 car, you know, like just able to just pay it all off um and not have any payment.

So I just kind of like, and I know I've given that book total money makeover, I gave it to my best friend's little sister when she got married, her and her husband.

So like because they had that book and they budgeted, like he was able to go to PT school while she worked, because she was a nurse, and they were able for him to graduate with like without having like the$80,000 in student loans that they had kind of originally expected to have.

So it's just like it's so such a practical it's it's like a$13,$14 book.

And and I mean, if anybody wants a copy, they can you know borrow mine.

Let's go back to to the beginning of uh let's get back to the basics, I guess, of the budget itself.

Okay.

So technically, you know, it it sounds elementary, but what is a budget in technical terms?

Okay, so a budget is essentially assigning where your money goes responsibly.

Um it's like it also gives you an overview of like what's extra that you don't need.

Okay.

And I realized that I was spending money, especially now subscriptions.

We have subscriptions to 6,000 things, and it's like, do you really need it or not?

I mean, I cut out seeing that, I cut out everything.

I only had internet and I had Netflix, but that was back when Streaming Netflix was only like$7.

It's not like it is now or it's like$25.

And when you used to be able to share your password.

Um now you can't do that.

Um, but yeah, so it's just kind of looking at the big picture of like the entire month and just making sure that you're assigning where your money goes.

Otherwise, you'll just like spend it.

It's like when you're budgeting, it's like, okay, I have$50 that I can eat out with.

So I'm only gonna eat out with that$50.

So I might not go to I'm not gonna go to what Hillstone.

I spent$150.

Like I've only got$50 for the month.

So I gotta be choosy.

Um, and also are you looking at your paycheck first and or are you looking at your expenses and then assigning how what's the order to that?

How the total is at the top.

Man, my spreadsheet is very extensive.

So big overview, it's like here's the total that I make for the month.

Yep.

And you do monthly.

I do monthly, daily, and weekly.

Weekly.

Well, bi-weekly because I get paid bi-weekly.

Okay.

Um, so like, yeah, because my spreadsheet is as granular or like as high level as you want it to be.

Okay.

So initially it's like, here's the total that I make for the month.

So if I make$4,000 a month, um my tie the way that the budget is set up, it says, you know, tithe 10%.

And then it's rent, because I have to have a roof to over my head, electric water.

Um so you kind of prioritize it.

Yeah, internet.

Because I work from home, so like the internet obviously I can't not have it.

Sure.

Um so those kind of things, like those priorities, like the necessities, and then what falls underneath it is like your monthly expenses, like how much do you eat out?

Like, what do I have to allocate to eating out?

No, I've paid off all my debts, so but what used to be there was like this is what I'm debt payments.

Right.

Okay.

Um, and the Dave Ramsey talks about like the debt snowball, which I don't know if you guys are gonna go into for that, but like paying off your debt.

But it really was effective.

Um, for me, it worked because it was of course you think like, oh, I want to pay off the highest balance first because it's got the biggest like percentage on it, but paying off the lowest one, the smallest amount first is very motivating when you pay off that credit card and it's a zero balance and you can cancel it and like it's gone.

Like then it's like, okay, like I can do this.

Like I did one, like what's next?

Um, because that's kind of how I did mine.

It was like the lowest, and then eventually got to my student loans.

I paid off my car last because the interest rate on that wasn't gonna change.

The payment was what the payment was.

So um, but then like I also have like I mean, I budget out the entire year practically.

And every single like paycheck, like I have columns for the paycheck that literally show what each paycheck is paying for.

And I have all the dates that everything is due, so that it's like obviously the last paycheck of the month, the majority of it goes to rent.

So the first paycheck of the month has to be able to go to other things, even though they're due right around the same time as rent.

Okay.

Um so that's how like I determine like the budget, especially because like there's like one or two, because I'm bi-weekly, there's like one or two months out of the year that I get paid three times a month.

So then that kind of like adds into that.

It's not really extra money, but kind of like it's like a weird kind of thing, but it's like it's there.

So it's kind of like, okay, like this can go into savings or this can go into a money market fund, or this can, you know, just be an extra amount saved somewhere.

Okay.

How do you so what if someone's not good at spreadsheets?

Do you have any advice for other tools or ways?

Yeah, there are okay, so I like a spreadsheet, but there are so many apps out there that will help you with that.

Um I've a notebook.

Some people like pen and paper.

I did that initially.

I tracked everything um in a notebook, but then since I was in spreadsheets every day at work, I was just like, oh, let me just transfer this over to a spreadsheet.

Um that's kind of like how I started doing the spreadsheet thing.

Um, but yeah, there's apps.

I think that's the the bulk of like what people would probably maybe use is because it's like on your phone, it's easy to track.

The only thing I don't like about the apps, and this is just me, I don't like they want to link to your stuff.

I don't like too many things being linked to my, especially to my like checking account.

Right.

Um, I have my debit card still number stolen once, and like I'll you know, I don't want that to happen again, you know.

Like it happened on holiday weekend, so it was like I just got an alert saying, like, oh, you're below your balance.

I'm like, what?

How could I be under$50?

I just got paid, like, and someone had like drained my checking account with my debit card.

So um I guess I made the mistake of using it at a pump, so never again for that.

So um yeah.

Cool.

So we got spreadsheets, we got apps.

Yeah.

Um what about someone that's not are you I'm assuming you're a salary employee, is that correct?

So what if someone's hourly and their pay fluctuates?

Do you have any advice for them on how to best how to best use their budget or to best set up their budget, I guess?

Uh so I the way that I would do that, I guess I would try to budget based on your average of what you make.

Okay.

Now, if you're hourly 40 hours a week, it's obviously different if you like when I worked at Publix, it would fluctuate.

Right.

So I get it.

Some weeks I would work 20 hours, some week I would work 25.

So I think just probably I would probably budget based on the lowest that I got.

You know what I mean?

If if the average for me is like 20 to 35, I would probably budget closer to 20.

Okay.

And then that other amounts, like I would either put that in savings or put it towards something if that's what works.

Um, if you work like a 40 hour, I would budget based on whatever your 40 hour pay is.

And then anything extra, um, if you have to pay off debt or you're saving money, like that's where I would kind of allocate those funds.

And do you do this to like to the dollar?

To the dollar.

I know where every single penny goes.

Okay.

So is where's your how do you calculate margin if you have margin?

Where where do you assign that?

You know what I mean?

So right.

Okay, so if you have debt, I would definitely, I mean, Dave Ramsey, the the save a thousand dollars first.

So if you do have credit cards that you're trying to pay off, it is great to have that like$1,000 sitting there.

Um so that if something comes up, you have the cash instead of having to put it on a credit card.

Um, because that happened to me like as I was paying off my debt, like I had to dip into that because like my car needed to be fixed.

So instead of putting that$800 on a credit card that I'm not paying 29% interest on, um I just like paid for the car and then I obviously had to switch gears and then reallocate that funds instead of paying off the credit card.

Now it had to go back to refilling that thousand dollars.

You you refilled the thousand first and then went back to the credit card.

You're saying okay.

And so like that's where I would put extra money.

And then if you have no debt, you know, they say six months of salary saved.

So if anything were to happen, you could survive for six months because like I know for six months is like everything would be cut, every subscription will be cut, like if I didn't have a job, yeah.

Um, so that's where I would put that first after all that.

Like, if you don't have debt, you've got six months saved, then it's like now you can start investing.

Um I would always advise someone to find a financial advisor.

Okay.

Just because I it's a lot of work to research on your own.

I mean, if you're good at it and you enjoy it and you have the time, like you can find the There's plenty of resources resources out there to figure out like what's good to invest in.

Um I just don't have the time, the extra time, you know, to be doing that.

So it's good to have um like a financial advisor who like knows that entire world so that your money is growing, so that especially depending on your goals for like when you want to retire, how do you want to retire?

Like, we're not thinking about I mean, could you imagine trying to retire this year and not thinking about inflation?

Like, that's you know, those are the things that they kind of factoring that in, you're saying, yeah.

Yeah.

So um that's like the last place.

It's like once all this is taken care of, then it's kind of like, or if you want to pay off your house, like that's a big step too.

Yeah.

All this sounds very these sounds, these sound like mountains.

Okay, like they sound like very heavy or like long-term goals that just seem glaring in the face and they seem impossible.

I guess is what I'm what I'm trying to say.

But in your own experience, what does just the the discipline or just the day-to-day grind of this, what does it take, you know?

Because it sounds just like, well, I would just rather I would just much rather go to Hillstone, to be honest with you.

Right.

So yeah, so the the day-to-day of it, it's kind of just like how hard is it in reality?

Because sometimes I mean it is hard.

It is a sacrifice.

Like it is not going to dinners with your friends, or I have sat at tables with friends and just had a glass of water.

So it's like it is a sacrifice.

Like I've eaten before, gone out, or I ask a friend, like, hey, do you want to split something?

Because now we only have to each pay ten dollars.

That way I am eating.

Um it is sacrifice.

It was cutting out extra stuff.

Like I said, all I had was Netflix and um the internet, and that was it.

Yeah, you know, so it's not being able I told people like, I'm not buying Christmas presents this year, I'm not buying birthday gifts.

Like, this is it's not even really it's being selfish, but not really.

Like, I got myself into this like financial place and I had to sacrifice to get myself out of it.

Because it's like I understand the heaviness and the burden of like what the weight of that debt feels like.

Like, I remember it.

I just remember thinking like this is never like this is impossible.

This is never gonna happen.

And it was like after, especially after that first debt was paid off, you know, it was only it's funny because like I remember in college, you know, they get you with those credit cards.

And like old Navy, you know, I would spend like$120.

It'd take me like a year to pay off.

And I paid so much interest on it, you know.

Like when I'm thinking back about it now, that's why I when I talk to people about like budgeting, I'm just like, I, you know, I wish someone would have told me this when I was 19.

Even if I still made some dumb choices, it's like at least like no one even gave me like the tools for it to even try.

But after I paid off like that first, you know, credit card that I had since college, like it just felt so good.

And I managed to find at the time for me, Capital One was doing this thing where you could transfer your balances, zero percent fee, zero percent for 18 months.

And so like I was able to transfer what I had left, consolidate all my stuff.

And um I'm like, I got 18 months to pay this off, and so like that's what I focused on.

And you know, like just praying over it, the tithing, being consistent with the tithing, like God just like blessed me.

Like the job that I have, you know, they give us a bonus in the year.

So like that bonus the sacrifice was is like I got this bonus, but it had to go to pay off something every single year for years.

Like it'd be like it's going here, it's going there.

Like, what I wanted to do was go on vacation.

What I wanted to do was get like a new wardrobe, but it was like, no, I just need like one or two new pairs of work pants, and let me go find like what's on sale somewhere.

So that was like that's the sacrifice.

It is a sacrifice if you want to do it, you know what I mean?

And there is a reward after that sacrifice, you know, it's like not having that heavy burden of feeling like like now my money is like my money.

I don't owe anybody anything.

I mean, of course I rent, like I don't have a house yet, but um, that's a whole nother.

Um, but yeah, so it's like just like not having that burden anymore.

Yeah.

And like the fact that I was just like willing to just trust God.

Like I did what I could do on my end, even though I had gotten myself in here, and just like trusting God to help get me the rest of the way out.

And so like when I made that last payment on my like car, like I made my the last student loan payment.

I'm like, all right, like what's next?

I'm like, no, like celebrate, like that the student loans are paid off.

I mean, that was like$50,000 right there.

Um, and the only reason I even had really decided I honestly thought I was gonna take those to the grave with me.

But one of my friends, um, we'd gone on a road trip and he had talked about that he had paid off like 120 in like four years.

And he had done like he had sacrificed because he's like, I just didn't want them anymore.

And I was just like, okay, like let me think about this.

Like, I guess if he could do it, like I could do it.

Like I moved in with uh my best friend or husband, I just said, Well, originally I'd moved in with them in order to like get myself ready to move to Orlando.

And then like we went on that trip, and I was just like, Oh, I could do this, and like that budget, I did it out.

I calculated, like, if this is what I do for the next two years, like I can pay this all off if everything goes to these things, and so like that was a sacrifice too.

Like, of course, living in your own place is great, but and having roommates is a little bit difficult, but it's also more affordable, and you're just able to you know save money to buy a house or save money and like pay off all your debt, like it's a sacrifice.

My parents didn't live in Jacksonville.

That would have been a sacrifice to move back in with my parents in my 30s, but if it meant that I didn't have you know that debt, and like it was a conversation I had then with my best friend or husband.

I was just like, is if it's okay with you guys, like can I live here for a while until I'll pay this off?

It should probably take like two years.

And they were like, Yeah, that's fine.

Well what has that sense of freedom from the debt impacted other areas of your life at all?

Um is it just a is it more of an emotional impact?

Like what's it been like?

I think it's just like the emotional impact is like I always was kind of like in fear of just like, oh my gosh, if I lose, it's paycheck to paycheck.

That kind of like fear of like, what if this paycheck goes away tomorrow?

You know, like what am I gonna do?

Um like that burden of of thinking about that.

But then also like when I've thought about my whole entire life, like God has always taken care of me.

Like I grew up in church when I was 18 and went to college.

I wasn't really I still believed, I still believe that you know it was God and Jesus and He died on the cross.

Um, but I wasn't going to church.

I think I was I always knew something was missing and I was trying to find it.

And I did try to go to church in college, I did try out of college, and like it just it wasn't there.

But celebration when I walked in, I was just like, oh, like this is it.

I just remembered that feeling of just like something's missing and that was it.

And so being able to like trust God with that, seeing what he did, then it just like allowed me kind of the space to just be like, all right, like I can trust God with these other things, even though he's I know he's God and like I can obviously trust him, but it was just kind of like surrendering these different pieces of my life, and that was like the biggest one because I felt like it was something that was just never I thought that I was gonna literally die with those pseudo loans sitting in the bank still or sitting wherever haunting my family.

Dang it, mom.

Um so you mentioned that at the top you were just talking about how the tithe is like one of your first line items.

Oh, yeah, it's the top.

Has it ever been tempting to remove that?

Oh yeah, because I budget out for the whole year, so I can see.

Plus, we get that tithing statement, and I have thought, like, it it does cross my mind, like, oh, that money could buy XYZ or do this.

And I'm just like, nah, I don't wanna, I don't wanna not risk, I will yeah, risk it.

I don't want to risk like this is what God has blessed me with.

Like, I'm not, it's just 10%.

Like, it's really not that much money.

I mean, it seems like it when you're like looking at a big picture, and the temptation is there to like, oh, everything's good now, like why don't I like not do it anymore?

But I just like there's just something in me that just is like, no, you can't not do that.

That's just me.

So for someone who is they're they're wanting that they're wanting that freedom, but they're looking and the obstacles seem astronomical, right?

It's they see you know, 30, 40, 50, 100,000 worth of debt.

They see what it would cost to get them there.

What would be your encouragement and maybe what would be like their first next step to be able to take to get to that place of financial freedom, I guess.

Yeah, I think it's you know, I always think like God is a God of order, you know, when you read like Genesis 1, it's like everything is done a very specific way.

And so it's like you have to order your finances and be responsible yourself and then trust that God will take care of the rest.

Um it is a challenge.

Like I even almost thought about going to a flip phone.

Like these are the sacrifices, you know, um getting a second job.

I'm not hourly, so I didn't really have the opportunity for overtime.

Um, but even when I look back at like when I did have the ability for overtime, I just was not smart about my money.

So I was just like spending it.

Uh very easy to spend money, you know what I'm saying?

That's why it's like if it's not assigned to a place, it's very easy for it to just disappear.

Um, it's like if you thought about how much money you've made up to this point in your life, you've probably made a million dollars.

It's just like, what do I have to show for it?

Right.

Um, but it's like ordering your finances that way and and making the sacrifice, like knowing that like God will take care of the rest, and that you just have to be responsible yourself, even if you were irresponsible.

Like I was super irresponsible.

I had credit cards in college, and which is like the worst, the worst thing you could do.

And you know, I was paying credit cards with credit cards, you know, I was paying bills with like credit cards, so then that just sits on the credit card, and then it becomes more frustrating because it's like, oh, like I'm putting this on a credit card.

Now I'm just making the balance even more.

Like it it seems daunting, but I think it's just like focusing on it and like it didn't take you like I guess it could take you overnight to get into debt, but it's just like anything.

It didn't take overnight for that to happen.

It literally took like college, it took like me still being irresponsible with money and putting like going out to dinner on a credit card.

You do it once, you do it twice.

You know, like now you've got like 300 extra dollars on there when you're still only making the minimum payment.

So um I think just like ordering your finances is just super important and like honoring that god's given you even just that job, you know.

Um yeah, it's it feels daunting.

I totally get that, I felt it, but like it that's like also part of the sacrifice is like maybe finding another job.

Like if I did like one um a friend's budget and it was just like when he sent it to me, just kind of like, oh, this is making me sad.

But I would like put it all out, and I was just like, if you just work like three extra hours, if your company allows it, if you work three extra hours and get overtime, you could pay off your debt by next summer.

Wow, you know what I'm saying?

So it's like that's why I budgeted out the year, because kind of like when you see like that it's possible, it's not a the boogeyman's not as scary as it is.

Yeah.

Um and I know that like interest rates and stuff are so high right now, and it it's a little bit different, and things are way more expensive.

Um I mean, there's coupons, there's you know, it's just like all these things that it was just like it's almost a humbling some you have to humble yourself.

Yeah, literally, like I was going to the library to rent movies or DVDs.

Well, back in the when he used to if you have a DVD player, you know what I'm saying?

I'm sure you can dust one off somewhere if you really want to watch a movie.

Um, but yeah, like the library was a great resource because it's like I could read books for free.

Like someone had said someone spent like$300 a month or something at Starbucks.

And I was just like, I can't even imagine.

I almost ordered Starbucks when I was in Jacksonville, and it was because I had to be there for work for a work thing.

Um, and I was gonna order it on the app and it just said six dollars and forty cents.

And I was just like, I just can't do it.

Like, this used to only be like three dollars.

Like nothing's changed.

It's the exact same latte it was three years ago, and I just sat there.

I was like, I can't, I can't hit order.

And yes, coffee is good, but it's like you can make it at home.

There are things like you can do that will save you money if you really like look at it and you really think about it.

There are other things that you can do.

I mean, I know plenty of people who go to thrift shops for clothes.

I mean, I grew up wearing hand-me-downs for my aunt, um, who's like 10 years older than us.

So she was 20, giving us me as a 10-year-old her sweaters and pants and stuff.

So um, I mean, my mom always bought us like shoes two sizes too big at the beginning of the school year so that they fit by the end of the school year.

Amazing.

I mean, so I grew up knowing like my parents, like watching my parents like kind of sacrifice and struggle a little bit.

So it's like it's not anything really new to me per se.

It was new in the fact that like I had to actually do it myself.

Yeah.

Um, now the only thing I didn't sacrifice on was I like a cool, crisp apartment.

You like a what?

A cold, crisp apartment.

So I like to keep the air.

You keep the air seal.

Yeah, but you could also sacrifice there too, like if you really want to.

I love it.

As long as you think about it, you can figure out like these are the things I'm spending on.

What can I do that's like free, or you just have to be much more creative and not lazy.

Yeah.

Like that's what it was for me.

It's like laziness.

Convenience is what we pay for, right?

So it's like you might have to work a little bit harder or give up a little bit more, but you can find things to do and be more creative and not spend that money.

Yeah, a lot of what we're accustomed to are more luxuries than than they are um than they are actual necessities.

Right.

So I think if you can make that distinction, like is this a necessity or a luxury?

That can actually kind of help, you know, be a catalyst for Yeah.

I mean, I remember seeing uh back when Oprah was on.

I just remember like in college they had somebody on, but the question was, you know, when you go to buy something, do I want it or do I need it?

Yeah.

And it's kind of like, you know, my friend and I would go to the store and we would just be like, uh, do we want it or do we need it?

We're just like, uh, fine, I just want it.

Like, put it back.

I don't need it.

Well, Tina, thanks so much for coming on and helping us.

I'm sure it was a blessing to somebody.

And you know, uh Tina's around on Sunday, so can I have a budget template if anybody wants it?

She has a budget template for you.

So plug in the numbers.

Easy enough.

But again, thanks so much, and hope you guys stick around and tune in next week for our next guest as we continue our talk on finances.

Thanks, Tina.

Thank you for joining us to learn more about Celebration Orlando, a church devoted to reaching the lost, equipping the found, and helping the hurting.

Follow us on social media using the handle at celebrationorl or visit our website, celebrationorl.org.