There seems to be a lot of talk about becoming a millionaire. It’s kind of that magic number people always dream of reaching one day. 

I think it’s a great goal to have so long as you don’t hoard, aren’t greedy, and you give generously.

I read a good article on MarketWatch the other day called Start With $10,000 and Retire a Millionaire.

The premise of the article was that if you started with $10,000, assuming a 7% inflation-adjusted return (not always an easy feat), and saved consistently (the amount needed varied based on your age) you could retire at age 65 with $1,000,000.

Becoming a millionaire is not rocket science.  At the core, you could break down becoming a millionaire into 2 simple steps:

1. Spend less than you make

Intrinsic to saving consistently is the fact that you must have money to save.  The biggest factor noted in the book The Millionaire Next Door: Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthyby Stanley & Danko is that wealth accumulators do not spend above – or even up to- what they earn.

In fact, they spend much, much less. Surprisingly, the folks that are wealthy (not just earning a good income) do not get into status objects and luxury items – they actually spend frugally.

2. Save aggressively & consistently for a long period of time

Here’s the other key. You need to save. I don’t mean throwing your loose change in a jar.  I’m talking about saving a good amount for a long time, and doing it consistently.

Wealth accumulators save. It’s simple, but not easy. It’s easier to spend money on food, clothes, cars, homes, gadgets, and other fun things.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying you should never spend money on fun items. 

My point is this: If you want to accumulate wealth, you need to get a savings plan in place TODAY!

What should you do?  If you’re in debt, get out now!  Then start saving 10% of your income and try to get up to 20% as quickly as possible.  Even if you don’t reach “millionaire status”, you will have saved a nice chunk of change, and you’ll be happy you did!

What words describe God and his economy?

Big spender. High roller. Spendthrift. These certainly aren’t words we would choose to describe God.

Cheapskate. Penny-pincher. Tightwad. None of these words would seem to fit either.

So what words would describe God and his economy?

One way to find out would be to look at nature. After all, “Ever since the creation of the world [God’s] eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made” (Romans 1:20 NRSV).

A few years ago, my wife and I hiked above the tree line on Mount Rainier. Everywhere we went on the trail, we were surrounded by wildflowers. For as far as we could see, wildflowers covered the mountain slopes. And I’d guess that on the back sides of the slopes there were more wildflowers that we couldn’t see—and that probably nobody could see.

Now I’ve been to the Vanderbilt Mansion in North Carolina, and the Vanderbilts really knew how to be big spenders, high rollers, and spendthrifts. They had gilded froufrou on their marble froufrou. But they would have never thrown around flowers the way God throws them around on the slopes of Mount Rainier.

God is magnificently, incomparably extravagant.

But what happens to all of God’s flowers at the end of the short alpine summer? When we’re done with something, we throw it away, but God can’t throw anything away because to God, there is no “away.” No, God uses those flowers to feed the birds, and the insects, and the chubby whistling marmots that are scrambling around the mountains. And ultimately, God reuses every molecule of those flowers in one way or another.

Now my parents grew up in the Great Depression. They never threw anything away. After they died, when my sisters and I were cleaning out their apartment, we found a whole kitchen drawer full of twist ties from bread wrappers. My parents were incredible cheapskates, penny-pinchers, and tightwads. But they never tried to find a use for every last faded flower.

God is immaculately, incomparably thrifty.

But here’s the really remarkable thing: The Vanderbilts were always extravagant; they didn’t know how to be thrifty. And my parents were always thrifty; they didn’t know how to be extravagant. But God is incomparably thrifty and incomparably extravagant at the same time.

One of our challenges in trying to develop a God-honoring financial lifestyle is that God so often embodies characteristics that seem downright contradictory to us. They’re not contradictory, of course; God doesn’t contradict himself. But from our terrestrial point of view, they can certainly seem contradictory. They’re paradoxical, which is the best word to describe God’s economy. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8 NRSV).

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other … It is good that you should take hold of the one, without letting go of the other; for the one who fears God shall succeed with both” (Ecclesiastes 7:14, 18 NRSV).

Jonathan Kopke has been teaching Christian stewardship precepts for over twenty years. He is the author of the book God’s Thrifty Extravagance: Understanding What the Bible Says about Money, which was released in February by Discovery House Publishers. Jonathan and his wife live in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he works as a software developer.

Friday Finance Round Up is a weekly post that includes interesting articles and blog posts on money found during the week from across the web.
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Other Christian Money Blogs You Should Read – Out of Debt Christian

I’m honored to be included in the list.  Check out the other sites for some great reading about money from a Christian worldview.

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Frugal Summer Fun Ideas: Top 10 Summer Activity Ideas for Families and Couples - Financial Highway

Good list of fun ideas for the summer that encourages family bonding and date nights!

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Ten Ways to Improve Financial Intimacy in Marriage - Bible Money Matters

Money is typically one of the biggest causes of conflict in marriage.  Craig offers a great post on building intimacy with your spouse around this hot topic.

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National Debt Road Trip – Political Math

If you want an eye-opening view of how much debt we are in as a nation, check out this creative video.  It’s only a couple minutes long. 

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One World Currency – New World Order – Debt Free Adventure

The Bible prophesies about it, national leaders have been talking about it and Matt Jabs blogs about it.  Check out this great post!

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If you’re looking for more ways to save money - Check out 10 Money-Saving Tips to Stash $10,000!

The price of oil has steadily increased for the past few months. 

Saving money on gas doesn’t mean you need to run out and buy a new hybrid. 

Here are nine things you can do right now to save money on gas so you don’t break the bank when you’re fueling up for your summer road trips:

Save Money on Gas by Pumping ‘Em Up

Believe it or not, properly inflated tires can help improve your gas mileage. 

According to the Alliance to Save Energy, low tire pressure can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 3.3%. 

Check your car’s manual or driver’s side door panel to find out the proper inflation for your tires and check regularly.

Save Money on Gas by Being Passive Not Aggressive

Do you drive like you just held up a bank? 

Aggressive driving (i.e. speeding, jackrabbit starts, aggressive braking) can lower your fuel economy by up to 33% at highway speeds according to the Alliance to Save Energy. 

Driving sensibly and more smoothly will help improve fuel economy by as much as 66 cents per gallon says the Consumer Federation of America. 

Edmunds.com explains that if you slowed your 0-to-60-mph acceleration time down from your current 10 seconds to a more normal city pace of 15 seconds, you’d feel an average of 31% savings on your gas costs.

Save Money on Gas by Passing on the Premium

Unless you are driving a high end sports car, most makes and models will perform fine on regular unleaded gasoline. 

Premium fuel may boost engine performance a little in some cars, but does not improve fuel economy. 

Your owner’s manual will give you recommended octane, but it is just that, a recommendation. 

Martin Peters, manager of public relations for Porsche Cars North America Inc. stated in an interview with the Associated Press that even their cars ”will run on regular fuel without damaging the engine,” and the higher octane is really just for “optimum performance.”

Save Money on Gas by Quitting Excessive Idling

Do you warm up your car up to a balmy 85 degrees on a cold winter day or sit in massive traffic jams during rush hour? 

Limiting your idling can reduce fuel cost by roughly 19%. 

If you are idling for more than a minute, it is recommended you shut down your engine.  This may not be possible in work traffic, but can be done if you are stopped at a train. 

Also, limit your “warm ups” on your car to only a minute or two.

Save Money on Gas by Slowing Down

This might be tough for some of us, but gas mileage decreases rapidly over 60 mph. 

Every five miles per hour over 60 is like paying an additional 20 cents per gallon of gas. 

A blogger at Wise Bread talks about how he increased his fuel economy by 15 mpg’s by simply slowing down. 

Save Money on Gas by Planning Ahead

Do you tend to run multiple errands during the week?

Try planning ahead to reduce the number of trips you are taking by combining your errands into just one or two days.  

Also, plan your routes in advance for the most efficient path to reduce excess mileage.

Save Money on Gas by Shopping Around

Technology makes shopping around so much easier when it comes to finding the cheapest gas prices. 

You don’t have to drive around from station to station looking for the best deal. 

Check out GasBuddy.com.  This handy website can help you find cheap gas prices in your city. 

Save Money on Gas by Lightening Your Load

All that “junk in your trunk” can be a real drag on fuel economy. 

According to Brian Carr at dailyfueleconomytip.com, for every extra 100 pounds you carry in your vehicle, you reduce gas mileage and fuel economy by roughly 2%. 

He tells of his real life example of taking out his golf clubs, cd cases and library books and shedding 44 lbs.  It all adds up.

Save Money on Gas by Taking the Challenge

The Alliance To Save Energy has a fun website calculator called the Drive Smarter Challenge.

This allows you to enter the make and model of your car and your zip code and they will show you the potential gas savings for your vehicle while they walk you through each idea. 

Save Money on Gas Because It All Adds Up!

While these ideas may not seem like a lot on their own, as a whole they can begin to add up and put some cash back in your pocket.