Creative Financial Solutions for Ministry
Being a student of any flavor can be very financially challenging. I am often amazed at some of the creative ways people use to earn and save extra money. This post is about a creative (and accidental) way my wife and I are trying to save money, improve the environment, and afford opportunities to do international missions.
Rising gas prices are hitting my wife and I especially hard. Since our recent move into the city, my wife’s daily commute is now 23 miles in each direction. I drive around 17 miles each way. This totals 80 miles per day of driving, give or take 5 miles for errands, outings, etc. I drive a 4 cylinder Chevy S-10, and my wife drives a Dodge Stratus. We looked at our gas bill last month and almost had a heart attack when we realized that we were spending over $550 on gasoline! And this doesn’t factor in the massive cost increase for basic needs like groceries. Bread has risen from $1.89 to $3.19, and milk has more than doubled in the last year. And it looks like it’s only going to get worse: “Gasoline in the U.S. could reach $7 a gallon because more drivers in India and China will hit the road even as American oil consumption retreats.”
At about this time, a friend of ours sent us an email telling us she was leading a mission team down to Israel to participate in reconciliation talks, help those harmed by war and terrorism, and also just sit and listen to the stories of war-torn youth in an effort to understand their pain. We really want to go (my wife especially), but it’s only 3 months away and getting our passports and finances together for an expense that large is… challenging.
So how do we cope with an exponentially rising cost of living, and somehow participate in exciting opportunities to show the love of Jesus? Well, the solution we came up with has me very excited.
Buy a motorcycle.
That’s right. I’ll soon be getting a modest settlement check from the accident I was in 3 months ago, and we’re going to put it towards a cruiser-style motorcycle that rates 55-60 MPG!!! It will cost us a little out of pocket, but after calculating the money we’d save in gas we realized that the bike will save us that amount in as little as 6 months. The Doc’s Harley Davidson website has a calculator that compares (1) the gas cost of whatever you are driving with (2) the cost of a brand-new HD Motorcycle (financed with no money down), minus (3) the money you’d save with it’s rated MPG, and you STILL save money.
Now, I’m not planning on buying a Harley, because if you know anything about motorcycles, you know Harley’s are expensive. But if you can actually save money buying a Harley, how much could we save buying a Honda? Well, after the cost of insurance, property taxes, and gas, my driving a motorcycle will save us $150-$200 per month!!! That money will then be funneled into a savings account, specifically allocated for an international missions budget.
In short, after 6 months of restoring some of our savings and learning to ride a bike, we’ll have a free motorcycle, save money on gas, reduce our carbon footprint, AND have a (modest) budget for annual mission trips. We won’t spend a dime more than we are now, but we will gain a gas-saving vehicle and be able to afford to travel overseas. Does it get any better than that?
I don’t write about this to tout our accomplishments or brag about the “cool things we’re doing,” but to illustrate how easy it can be to do some financial juggling and accomplish significantly more with the same amount of money. I want to encourage you all because this happened for us totally by accident… well… by “accident,” I mean we didn’t have anything to do with it. The way all of this fell into place has God’s fingerprints all over it…
So, my question and challenge to you all is this: What creative ways can you find to do “kingdom-building” work without costing a dime more than you are spending now? You could start a personal recycling program; invent a clean water storage device; invest your savings into a money market account that earns higher interest but is still accessible (liquid); carpool or use public transit; start a Radical Living Co-Op; or stop at the grade school you pass by on your way home every day and volunteer to tutor kids. The possibilities are limitless if we just think outside the box a little bit!
What crazy ideas do you have to change the world?
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Your enthusiasm is so great! I loved this post! Way to get creative and use your resources! As Pas-Pa-Tu from Around the World in Eighty Days would say, “When you use what you have got, you need not, what you have not.” Yippie-skippie.
Brad, great idea and hey, what about the joy factor you’ll get from that too! Good creative thought, I love just thinking about how we can spend less so we can give more. And you just reminded me we can have fun while we’re doing that. Good one.
Very creative.
What type of motorcycle are you considering. The Big Guy is looking at either getting a scooter or a motorcycle.
Thanks guys! Like I said, this whole thing came about as a surprise more than anything….
Dee,
I’m actually going to pay for it and pick it up today. It’s a 2003 Honda Shadow Spirit (750cc). I’ll post pictures sometime soon. It’s purrrrty.
dude.. this post rawks. esp. the question ” What creative ways can you find to do “kingdom-building” work without costing a dime more than you are spending now? ”
that’s a sermon! even something as simple as changing your light bulbs to CFB’s helps. anyway possible, let’s bring that kingdom about! great post.