Write about your approach to budgeting
Imagine four jars on a kitchen bench.
Needs: These are the weekly essentials. Groceries, clothing, fuel, health insurance — all the regular ins and outs that make life tick. We put these on a credit card for convenience, but we pay it off fortnightly so we’re not carrying debt.
Joy: These are the non-essentials that fill life with fun and hope. A trip to the beach for lunch, a movie, a holiday, or the occasional weekend away. We put money aside for these so that joy is planned for, not regretted.
Future: This covers superannuation and the mortgage. We always salary sacrifice our super – you don’t miss it if you didn’t receive it. The mortgage sits here because we’ve never lived in a home we owned — only a ministry house or a rental. For us, the mortgage isn’t just an expense; it’s a future we’re building toward. We entered the market late, so it takes extra discipline, and we’ve increased our repayments to accelerate the process.
Others: This is the first item that comes out. Ten per cent of our salaries go here. It supports our church, sponsored children, favourite charities, and other important causes. It’s a discipline that reminds us we’re part of something bigger and more important than our own needs and wants.
That’s our approach: needs, joy, future — and others. Not perfect, not flashy, but steady. And steady is often what a good life is made of.
The Afterword 
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