Provident Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions–easily made, quickly forgotten and fodder for guilt! Instead of feeling bad about yourself when April arrives and your resolutions are all but forgotten, set goals that will allow you to slowly but surely attain a more provident lifestyle. The changes need not be drastic or accomplished all at one time. Provident living is not a one-time event, but rather a mindset, a lifestyle, a commitment to viewing today in context of the years that lie ahead. No matter where you are on the Provident Living Spectrum, making consistent changes will brighten your tomorrows.
As you evaluate where you are, consider these dozen ideas:
1. Debt: If you are out of debt, stay out! If you are in debt, resolve to acquire NO further consumer debt and pay down your debt as quickly as possible. Tell yourself ‘No’ frequently until your debt balance is at zero. Buy used and apply the savings to your debt load. Put away the credit cards and pay cash. Do whatever you have to do to get out from under the slavery of debt.
2. Savings: Pay yourself each payday. Save whatever you can, wherever you can. Keep your savings in a secure, insured account. Teach your children to save and to be wise consumers.
3. Employment: Be certain that your resume is prepared and up-to-date. Improve your skills and be on the look-out for employment opportunities. If you are threatened with unemployment, begin your job search before you are laid off. Let everyone know that you are looking for employment!
4. Education: Be certain that your children understand the value of obtaining the best education possible. Teach them from middle school on that what they do in the six years after elementary school will affect their ability to be admitted to college and win scholarships. Help your teens find every scholarship opportunity possible. Teach your teens about the dangers of acquiring unnecessary student and credit card debt. If you need to return to school, seek grants, scholarships or employer-funded opportunities. Continually learn new skills that will help you live providently: gardening, canning, home repairs, computer skills, sewing, baking, cooking, etc. Be certain that every member of your family has the necessary life skills to enter the world prepared to be self-reliant.
5. Be a wise steward: Take care of what you own so that it will last and serve you well. The greatest ‘green’ thing you can do is to make what you have last as long as possible.
6. Prepare for ‘everyday’ emergencies: The largest percentage of ‘emergencies’ that we will face are the ‘everyday’ sorts–unexpected illness, injury, a flooded basement, etc. An orderly life and home makes it easier to deal with these types of events. Train your family to keep the home running smoothly. Have extras at home–extra cash, extra food, extra cleaning supplies. Know where your important papers and phone numbers are. Evaluate the most likely larger emergencies you might face and prepare with evacuation kits (72-hour kits or Bug Out Bags), emergency supplies such as first-aid kits, extra lighting, cooking, etc. ‘Prepare every needful thing…’
7. Store food and essential supplies: Even if you purchase and set aside a few canned goods each shopping trip, build a supply of food that you can rely on. Begin by purchasing ‘everyday’ foods until you have a 3-month supply. Store some water, extra hygience products, laundry soaps, etc. When you have accomplished your 3-month supply, slowly acquire long-term staples such as grains, sugar, salt and powdered milk.
8. Develop emotional resiliency: Learn to take the upheavals of life in stride emotionally (which is easier when you are living providently). Learn to appropriately deal with stress, anxiety, disappointment and develop a support structure that will assist you. Develop a greater faith and testimony of the eternal nature of your life so that the daily ups and downs are seen in the proper perspective. Learn to laugh. If you need professional help, seek it from a trained professional that shares your core values.
9. Build your spiritual muscles: Like physical muscles, spiritual muscle must be built over time. Do not wait until the tempest is raging to learn to seek Divine Guidance and Strength. Serve others and forget yourself as you lift another.
10. Practice Prevention: Prevent accidents whenever possible. Make your home and your car as safe as possible. Teach your children to behave appropriately and how to react to danger. Seek preventative medical care from competent professionals. Think before acting and research before leaping!
11. Plan ahead: Live today fully, but look towards the future. Plan economically, physically and mentally for events that you know will occur. Whether it is a birthday, Christmas or retirement, many of life’s events can be accurately predicted and planned for. Continually living in a state of ‘last-minutitis’ increases stress and nearly always results in frayed nerves, greater expenditures and wasted effort.
12. Practice happiness: Happy people are more likely to successfully navigate the world without relying on impulse buying, addictive substances or other self-destructive behaviors. Find joy in the simple things of life and make your home a haven from the cares of the world. If your home is a simple cave, make it the brightest, happiest, most laughter-filled cave imaginable.
Provident Living is not a drudgery or ‘doomsday’ way of looking at life. Rather, it is the best guarantee that you and those you love will be safe, secure, strong and happy no matter what life throws your way. Make 2010 a year in which you embrace and find joy in being not only self-reliant but able to reach out to others. In that, you will find the greatest of joy!
