money Archives - Page 2 of 3

Bigwig

July 4, 2022 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Few of us are bigwigs. However, we probably know people who are.

A bigwig is an important person.

The person may be a:

King, queen, or other government official
President of a company
Famous actor or athlete

A bigwig usually has a high position, power, and money.

According to The Phrase Finder, “The fashion for wigs began with the Bourbon kings of France. Louis XIII (1601 – 1643) went prematurely bald and took to wearing a wig. By the middle of the century … wigs were virtually obligatory for all European nobility.” Their wigs became so large, this phrase grew in popularity.

Bigwig also means a person who pretends to be important.

If we try to be a bigwig, we act highfalutin. Our pride gives us a big head. Other people usually recognize the behavior as only an act.

Everyone is important to God.

We may not have a high position, money, or power, but God gives us purpose. May each of us find our purpose and do it to the best of our ability.

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you” (Romans 12:3 NIV).

Thanks to Regina Graham for the suggestion. Image by Michael Gaida from Pixabay.

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A Day Late and a Dollar Short

November 8, 2021 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

As a child, I often heard people say they were a day late and a dollar short. They usually meant they did not have enough money to buy something or pay a bill.

However, I learned the expression has a greater meaning.

A day late and a dollar short means to be unprepared and too late.

That can be money for purchases or bills, as I thought. It can also mean not enough effort in:

Relationships
Work
Personal goals

In each one, people fail to get the ball rolling. They dillydally when they need to get to work.

Lack of effort and failure to be on time benefit no one.

Everyone loses.

Family members who ignore one another threaten their relationships
Lazy workers hurt their employers and risk losing their jobs.
Anyone who invests little time or effort fails to achieve their best.

Prepare. Work well. Use time wisely.

A good plan for now and eternity, don’t you agree?

“Jesus replied, ‘My light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, and go where you want to go before the darkness falls, for then it will be too late for you to find your way’” (John 12:35 TLB).

Thanks to Emily Akin for the suggestion.

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Congratulations to Betty Johnson whose name was randomly drawn from my mailing list for a free copy of Tracy Crump’s book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness.

Take It to the Bank

April 15, 2019 Diana Derringer Comments 4 comments

Take It to the Bank -- bank vault If someone pays us by check, we take it to the bank. The check promises money.

Of course, not all checks are good. In those cases, we lose the money listed on the checks.

When we say we can take it to the bank, we mean something is good.

We can depend on it.
The person who wrote the check has the money listed.
A person always speaks the truth. He is as good as his word.

We cannot take everything to the bank.

Like bad checks, not everyone speaks or acts in truth. When that happens, we lose trust. The person’s bad choices hurt us.

We all make bad choices. However, we can receive forgiveness.

Easter celebrates Jesus coming to earth to pay the price for our sins – our bad choices.

Jesus’ words and actions taught us how to live.
He died on the cross for our sins.
Before and as He died, Jesus prayed for us.
He arose from the grave on the third day.
Jesus’ victory over sin and death becomes ours free and clear, if we place our faith in Him.

Friends, we can take Jesus’ promises to the bank.

“This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3 ESV).

Thanks to Kristy Robinson Horine for the suggestion and to Citizens Bank for the photo opportunity.

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You Can’t Squeeze Blood from a Turnip

October 1, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip means something is extremely hard to do.

You may also hear:

It is like getting blood from a turnip.
You can’t draw blood from a turnip.
It is like getting blood from a stone.

All usually deal with efforts to get money or information from someone.

The person:

Has what we need but will not share or help
Or has little or no money or information

Often a person has a bill but no way to pay it.

A few businesspeople understand. Others do not.

During my social work years, a doctor cared for a couple and their children. One day we discussed their many needs. The doctor said, “You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip.” He knew the family was poor as a church mouse. They would probably never be able to pay his bill.

However, the doctor continued to treat the family. He also gave them the same respect he gave everyone else. The family paid him $1 every month. He admired their effort to pay what they could.

You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip. You can treat everyone with respect.

Count your blessings. Then share those blessings with others.

“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Proverbs 14:31 NIV).

Thanks to Rhonda Wade Royster for the suggestion.

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Money Burns a Hole in Their Pocket

October 2, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

Some people never save for a rainy day. Money burns a hole in their pocket.

As soon as they get money, they spend it.

They rush to a store or make an online order.

How they get their money does not matter. They spend it all.

Paycheck
Allowance
Gift
Prize

The amount of money does not matter. They spend it all.

Whether they have one dollar or a million dollars, they spend it. Then, when they need money, they have nothing. They stay poor as a church mouse. Therefore, they have no way to help themselves or other people.

They have fun for a short time. But the fun does not last.

Life can be hard. They need to be ready when those hard times come.

A few people may have someone who gives them all they want or need. Most people have to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps .

Therefore, they need to make a money plan.

Spend some.
Give some away.
Save some for a rainy day.

Your income disappears, as though you were putting it into pockets filled with holes! (Haggai 1:6 TLB).

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Beyond the Call of Duty

July 3, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 5 comments

A person who goes beyond the call of duty does more than required.

They do their job plus more. This expression is often used for:

Soldiers
Firefighters
Police officers

Those jobs are dangerous. To go beyond the call of duty makes them more dangerous.

People who chose such work put themselves at risk for the sake of others. Yet, many people accept that risk every day.

Anyone can go beyond the call of duty.

Teachers
Factory workers
Restaurant workers
Anyone

To go beyond the call of duty costs something.

Time
Money
Health
Life

July 4, Independence Day, celebrates the birth of the United States.

That birth came at great cost. Many, who did more than they had to do, lost their lives.

Never forget the price paid for the freedom so many enjoy.

Thank a veteran or a soldier who continues to make that freedom possible.

“You’ve gone far beyond the call of duty in taking care of us; what can we do for you?” (2 Kings 4:13 MSG).

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Poor as a Church Mouse

May 8, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

If we are poor as a church mouse, we are the poorest of the poor.

We own almost nothing.

Years ago, few churches had kitchens. Therefore, if a mouse lived in a church, it had little to eat. A child might drop crumbs from a snack. Yet, that would not last long. The poor mouse might starve.

We may have times poor as a church mouse. We may also have times rich as a king.

Our happiness does not depend on what we own.

We can be poor as church mice and happy. We make do.

We can also live high on the hog, and be unhappy.

Money matters little for true meaning in life.

We find real wealth in:

Peace in our souls
Purpose for living
Love for God and one another
Hope for the future
Joy for every day
Sharing what we have with those in need

We can’t take it with us when we die. So, why not put what we own to good use now?

“Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater” (Proverbs 28:6 TLB).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion.

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Hand-Me-Down

February 29, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Hand Me Down How many of you have worn a hand-me-down? Or lots of hand-me-downs? If you are the youngest or smallest child in your family, you may know what I mean.

You get to wear clothes or shoes someone else outgrew or no longer uses.

Sometimes that’s okay. The clothes look new or you like them.
Other times it’s not okay. They look old or awful.

Buying fewer clothes means more money for other needs or wants. Some families share hand-me-downs, because the families have little or no money. Dolly Parton sings about her first coat no one else had worn in “Coat of Many Colors.” Her mother made that coat from rags, a perfect example of making do.

As one of the smallest people in my extended family, I continue to wear hand-me-downs. I hate to shop. The more hand-me-downs I get, the less shopping I have to do. That sounds like a good plan to me.

Whether a person wears hand-me-downs or new clothes matters little. Far more important is whether we clothe ourselves with love, kindness, and truth.

“If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:8 NIV).

Thanks to Karen Grimes for her picture of Taylor and Makenzie’s hand-me-down moment.

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Make Do

February 2, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 10 comments

Make Do My parents and grandparents knew how to make do. So did many of their generation. They survived on what they had. If they had little, they lived on little. If they had more than enough, they saved for the future and shared with others.

They tried to avoid debt. If they didn’t have money, they didn’t buy. They grew their own food, built their own houses, and made their own clothes. They:

Discovered new recipes with the food in their kitchens
Styled themselves with the clothes in their closets (if they had closets)
Learned new ways to live off the land

They threw almost nothing away. Instead, they:

Cut buttons off old shirts to reuse
Canned and froze food they grew in the summer to eat in the winter
Cut up rags to make quilts

By doing the best they could with what they had, they learned to appreciate all they had. Although not rich with money, they were rich in faith and love.

Now in their golden years or gone but not forgotten, they continue to share their wealth with others. Some of those gifts appear in this picture.

A quilt made by my mother
A quilt rack made by my father
A Dutch boy and girl painted by a dear friend
Old canning jars that remind me to make do

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

Do you have a favorite make do story? If so, please comment

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Tightfisted

November 24, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Few people want to be called tightfisted or closefisted. We don’t like to be known as selfish or cheap. A tightfisted person hates giving or spending money. They want to keep it all for themselves.

However, we can be tightfisted with more than money. Too often we fail to share our time and love. We need those much more.

How many children wish for more time and love from parents?
How many husbands or wives wish for more time and love from a spouse?
How many people live alone, thinking no one cares?

We can do something about the needs around us. If we are tightfisted, it is never too late to change. Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol provides a perfect example.

Of course, we want to use what we own wisely. We need to save money for future needs. At the same time, most of us can give far more than we do. With money, time, and love, let’s freely share.

The Gaither video Give It Away includes a scene of children receiving Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes filled with gifts. What a great reminder that we can make our world a better place to live.

This Thanksgiving, let’s give thanks for what we have. Then let’s open our tight fists and share with others. After all, we can’t take it with us.

“Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8 NIV).

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