Spending or Investing?

It's the beginning of the month again.  I hate the beginning of the month!  Why?  Because that's when all my bills are due.  Mortgage, power bill, cell phone bill, gas bill, water bill.  Yep, they all pile up the last week and first week of the month.  And it never fails, that Jason's paycheck is always the lowest at that time.  And so, once again, the balancing act begins.  It's stressful and discouraging, and I keep telling myself that one day things will get better.  One day, we'll have a little extra money in the bank account, and it won't matter that all the bills are coming out at once.  Yep, that's my dream.  But I know it will never become a reality until we learn to invest rather than spend.

I consider myself to be a very thrifty person, but if I were to look back over the past month, I would probably be appalled at the amount of money I've spent on things that I didn't need and that were fleeting.  A candy bar here.  A soda or tea there.  That cute little shirt because it was marked down to $3.  Dinner out because I just didn't feel like cooking or messing up the kitchen I had finally cleaned.  Little things in and of themselves, but they add up over time, and none of them had any lasting value.  The food and drinks are long gone.  And the shirt, while I am actually wearing it at this very moment, was not something I needed.  I have plenty of clothes.  It's so easy to spend, but investing is hard work.

This is not only true with our finances, but it's also true will all our other resources, especially our time.  What are we spending our time on?  Are we investing our time and energy into things that will matter tomorrow, next week or next year?  Or are we simply spending our time doing the things we want to do, knowing that one day we'll look back and wonder, "What did I do that matters?"

I know I often have days where I stay busy all day, but when I look back, I can't help but wonder, What did I get done today?  Sure, I may have gotten caught up on the laundry, but did I send those notes to the shut-ins, reminding them that they aren't alone and forgotten?  Yes, I wrote the next chapter of my book, but did I take the time to tell my husband how much he means to me?  My time was spent, but was it invested?  There's a big difference!

I challenge you today to make a difference.  Don't just live today, doing what it takes to get by.  Make a point to invest your time and energy (and money) into things that really matter.  I can guarantee you it will save you a lot of regret in the future.  Are you spending or investing?  The choice is yours!