This is Not an Emergency (Managing Your Finances During COVID-19) | May 2020

                                   

In February, we were in the middle of a world crisis, but this was not an emergency. A few months ago, we as a nation faced an unknown and an uncertain future thanks to what we now know as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus whose origin traced all the way back to China. 

When news broke that the first case of the deadly disease had hit the United States, many people panicked. People rushed to the grocery stores in droves and bought excessive amounts of tissue, cleaning supplies, paper towels, and most importantly, food. A historic pandemic swept through our nation and in those moments, no one knew exactly what to do. Before more information could reveal itself, shelves at local stores were empty and waited days to be restocked.   

In Exodus 16, the children of Israel had left Egypt. While they were in the wilderness, God gave the children of Israel fresh manna every morning, but He told them that they could only have one per person, per household. In essence, He provided for them what they needed. As the sabbath quickly approached, He told them that manna wasn’t going to rain and they had to gather enough to last the next two days, one per person, per household. The moral of this story is that God gives according to need and that God has given us everything we need to survive. He has made provision available to us and for us, we just have to follow His instructions, use them wisely, and be good stewards over the resources he has given us, even when there seems to be nothing left.

A lot of times when we think of an Emergency Fund, we think of having three to six months worth of living expenses stashed away in our bank accounts, readily available to use in case we ever need it. But have you ever thought about doing the same with household supplies and necessities for personal hygiene? Each month, I run my household like I manage a business. I take inventory of what I have and what I don’t and I make a list of what I actually need when I go to the store so that in cases of emergencies, like this or in other situations, I don’t have to worry about having what I need to survive. Instead, I can sit back, relax, and allow Jesus to take the wheel and totally direct my life.

How do you prepare for moments like this? Have you considered investing in and preparing an at home emergency kit full of necessary supplies? How much do you need for your family?

With this revelation, I developed a household management system to help me keep track of not only the items I used on a daily basis, but how much of them I used in a course of a month, three months, and six months. I researched their prices at frequently visited stores and this helped me to get the most bang for my buck EVERY, SINGLE, TIME. I became more strategic and it just made more sense.

If COVID-19 presented a hardship for you and your family, enjoy completing this free resource together to create your own stash of emergency supplies to help you get started.