Super Savers

Do you associate saving with deprivation? Relax—these simple steps to socking away money will reap lifelong benefits

Suzanne Woods Fisher

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I've never made much money. I'm college educated, a whiz at Trivial Pursuit—but the skills, talents and passions I've been blessed with aren't ones that generate much cash. And yet, I'll be able to come up with the funds to put our four children through the college of their choice. How? Simple. Saving money and letting it compound over time really works.

When my children were toddlers, I scraped together $500 per child and purchased some stock. It was such a small amount that my husband and I ignored it and just let it grow. And the Lord blessed that decision in his abundance. What delights me even more is that God allowed me to contribute so fully, while staying at home, raising children and writing.

Why save? There are many good reasons: the first of which is that we are asked to be good stewards of what God has given us.

While Christ was clear that our trust and sense of security shouldn't lie in our riches but in God, it is also a biblical principle to work diligently and plan for the future. Consider the work ethics of ants, advises wise old Solomon (Proverbs 6:6). Ants never give up. They plan for winter all summer. They plan for summer all winter. And while they gather food for winter, they gather all they can.

Another reason to save is that our life expectancy is getting longer. Your retirement may last 20-30 years. According to the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, the average American life expectancy hit an all-time high in 1999 of 76.7 years. The World Health Organization (World Health Report 1999) states American women live, on average, seven years longer than American men and have higher medical expenses than men. Currently, men in the U.S. average 73 years, women 80 years.

Then there's the peace of mind that comes with savings. With money put aside for a rainy day, I don't panic when the roof starts leaking or the car sounds funny.

The Pay-off

My husband and I have always been conservative spenders—not typical of our "work now, spend now" peers. We bought an inexpensive fixer-upper house in our area, remodeled it and then paid it off within eight years—at the point in which interest benefits on taxes begin to diminish. (Recently, I came across the meaning behind the word mortgage. It has Latin roots that are chilling: Mortuus means death, gage mans grip. Mortgage means death grip. Hmmm.)

We also started deferring income early in our twenties through 401(k)s and IRAs. At times I wondered "When is this going to pay off?" especially as I observed friends' razzmatazz accumulations. Within about ten years, I could see aggressive saving had been worth every unspent penny. We've never really missed the money we deferred, we're prepared for college and emergencies, we have the option of an early retirement or a career change and we've created a built-in self-discipline for ourselves. And we've modeled fiscal responsibility to our children.

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Originally published in: Marriage Partnership, 2000, Summer

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