My wife and I celebrate our 52nd wedding anniversary this month.  Officially, that makes me old!  But, it also makes me wiser than I was on my wedding day in 1965.  If I have learned anything in my marriage, I have learned that investing kindness and love in my marriage relationship on a consistent basis pays long-term dividends.  I cannot expect my wife to react well to me or to feel secure in our marriage if I am not consistently “depositing” acts of love toward her into our marriage.  I must invest consistently over time!

Saving money works the same way. There is something “magic” about investing a little bit of money over a long period of time.

Financially, investing small amounts consistently is perhaps the wisest choice you can make with your money (assuming you are maintaining a debt-free lifestyle).  From a dollars and cents perspective, investing consistently when you are young allows you the most opportunity to experience financial gain and ultimately financial independence.  And, from a character perspective, investing consistently when you are young reinforces the habits of goal setting, self control, delayed gratification, and wisdom.  You really can’t go wrong!

If you have not had the habit of saving money, I would suggest that you begin to save in a consistent and simple way.  There are several ways to do that.  If you work at a company with retirement plan benefits, you can have money taken out of your check each month before it’s deposited to your account.  If you earn a paycheck but must manage your savings yourself, then you can automatically move a certain percent (I’d suggest 10%) to a separate savings account every time you deposit a paycheck.  If you are a student and don’t work, but receive financial help from parents or grandparents, I would also suggest that you set aside 10% or so into a savings account.  No matter how you do it, saving money BEFORE you spend is the easiest way to get into the habit.

My desire for you is that you enjoy both the financial and the character-related benefits of saving your money.  If you understand the value of making small financial deposits, you will more easily grasp the value of making small emotional deposits in your relationships – with the Lord and with your family.