Today is Thrift with Flair Day!

Bet you didn’t know that there was a day to celebrate being thrifty! The First Annual National Thrift with Flair Day was created in 2000 to help families who had spent too much money on stuff they didn’t need to make a fresh start on getting control of the family budget.

Actually, that’s not a bad idea. How are you doing in the money department? Maybe you get a weekly allowance. Or maybe you just received some money as a Christmas gift. Whatever your financial situation, this is a good time to consider how you spend your money. Consider the following questions: What was the last item you purchased? Did you really need it? How much money do you save? How much do you give to God as offering?

It’s tempting when you have some money in your pocket to pick up the latest CD of your favorite band, or to buy another pair of jeans before your old ones are worn out. But what happens when you really need something, or the offering plate comes around on Sunday and you have nothing left?

The fact is God has given us everything that we have or own. How we spend our money reflects on how we feel about God. If we put God first, then we will try to honor him with the way we spend and use our money. That means making good decisions about what to buy and when, how much to save, and how much to give back to God. But if we spend money as if we love it more than God, watch out! We’ll be joining the ranks of those people who inspired Thrift with Flair Day in the first place!

As Jesus put it, we can’t love God and money equally. Who do you love?

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13).

To Do

Celebrate Thrift with Flair Day by making a budget (or spending plan) for yourself. Here’s one simple way to do that. Take three envelopes. Mark one Save, mark another one Spend, and mark the third Give. Then decide how much you plan to put into each envelope on a weekly or monthly basis.

Also on this day . . .

1910—The first junior high school was opened in Berkeley, California.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.