In the first episode of this ‘Good with Money’ season, Simon and Bex talk about ways in which budgeting can help us get off to a great start if we want to be good with money and also to do good with our money.

Some key points of interest covered in this episode include the following:

• Simon and Bex start off the show by announcing the three charities that will each receive £100 as part of the celebrations for the podcast’s 100th episode, aired on July 30th. [00:37]
• Bex and Simon explain that Season 11 is going to be about using our money well and not just managing it well. Topics covered in the eight core episodes of the season will comprise the following: budgeting, saving, investing, pensions, tax, debt, insurance and family matters. [02:22]
• Simon uses a couple of examples to support his comment that budgeting is a pervasive topic when dealing with money and is therefore a really good place to start when aspiring to be good with money. [06:22]
• The power of a budget is that it enables us to plan ahead and to decide how we are going to ensure that we give ‘every pound a purpose’. Equally important is the encouragement not to pay ourselves first, but instead to give to God first, as illustrated by Proverbs 3.9: ‘Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all you produce.’ [12:46]
• In response to a question from Bex, Simon gives an example of how ‘framing’ our priorities can help us to strike the right balance between what we allocate to current expenditure and what we earmark for the future. [14:16]
• Simon provides a broad-brush overview of Christian budgeting, starting off with Psalm 24.1 (‘The earth is the Lord's and everything in it’) to illustrate that we are stewards of any wealth we have, and going on to mention the importance of prioritising our giving and ensuring, also, that we live within our means. [17:43]
• When asked to identify some additional key principles, Simon highlights the following behaviours: use money as a tool rather than making it a goal in its own right; be aware of the danger of having a rigid attitude to budgeting that can inhibit our ability to be sensitive to prompts from God about how He wants us to use our money; be open about money matters with others and seek wisdom from them. [21:46]
• Listeners are warmly invited to share their thoughts and experiences related to budgeting. Next week’s episode will explore the topic of ‘Saving’ [24:07]

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