Mom's Amazing Budget

When my mother died at age 57 of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, I never thought I’d survive my grief. I was 33 years old and pregnant with my fourth child. I’m not sure which upset me more, the loss of her daily friendship or the fact that she would never see or know my youngest child, Andrew.
Shortly after Mom died, Dad gave me a box of papers from her desk. Included were her down-to-the-penny household statements for each month during my childhood years.
Every month she paid eleven bills by check: house payment, taxes, insurance, utilities, groceries, etc. The rest of the family income was place in ten separate envelopes labeled: church, school expenses, clothes, gifts, repair and improvement, dues and licenses, doctor-dentist, Dad’s allowance, Mom’s allowance and savings.
The June 3, 1960 ledger states that she wrote $274 in checks. The cash in the envelopes totaled $130. Our family of five was living on $404 a month. In spite of the tight budget, Mother and Dad were giving more to the church than they were keeping for themselves. Mom kept $10, Dad kept $10 and $24 went to the church.
I was stunned. They were giving away more than they kept for their own spending money. I thought about my own life as a young mother. Had I followed in my parents’ footsteps? Hardly. The excuses came too easily. Four children to put through college. A big mortgage. An emergency that might come up. The vacation fund.
As a child I never had the slightest notion that my parents inched their way through life on such a tight budget. Yet every month they gave no thought to doing any less for the church than the absolute maximum that their tiny budget could stand. Maybe that’s why I felt so rich as a kid. Maybe that’s why I should start giving more and keep less for myself. Maybe that’s the secret to overcoming life’s daily struggles. Give more than you think you can afford.