12 Creative Ways to Give Sacrificially
Brought to you from:

Many people hear a phrase like "Not Equal Giving but Equal Sacrifice" and, "If they only knew how little money I have," or "I'm giving all I can, I can't give anymore,“ or "I'm single, going to school, I'm in debt up to my ears, I can't give much," or "I'm a single parent and I can barely feed my kids, there's no way I can give to the campaign." Believe me, we understand the concerns and empathize with you. That is why we have come up with a list of creative ways to give that you may have overlooked. Each one requires sacrifice on your part, but like King David said, "I will not offer up to the Lord anything that costs me nothing!" You may want to combine one or more of these to represent your commitment, or come up with some of your own!

   1. Be a coupon clipper! Food is probably the largest discretionary expense each month.
       Taking the time and discipline to do this can save $10-$20 per week. Ten dollars a week
       for three years is $1,560.

   2. Skip one meal per week as a family. Skipping one meal a week at an average of $20 per
       family to devote to prayer or fasting is $3,120 over a three-year period.

   3. Give up a habit. Easier said than done, but not impossible. For example, an almond latte
       plus tax each day for three years costs nearly $2,400!

   4. Commit your income tax refund check to the Lord for the three-year period.

   5. Commit an estimated raise in salary to the Lord for the next three years.

   6. Put off a discretionary major purchase and redirect the money to the campaign.

   7. Adjust your vacations. For one or more of the years, do something close and inexpensive
       like day hikes, picnics, or take a three-day vacation instead of a week and save on the airfare
       and hotel costs. This can save $1,000 to $2,000 easily.

   8. Make a commitment to drink only water at a restaurant. One person could save $5 a week

       or more. That's a minimum of $780 just for drinking water!

   9. Wait for a movie to come out on video instead of seeing it at the theater. One trip to the movie
       theater can cost over $20 with popcorn and candy for two people! If you cut out two movies per
       month, that's almost $1,500 over the three years.

   10. Cut down to basic cable instead of regular cable. Basic cable gets channels 1-13 and is
       about $12 a month compared to $25+ per month for regular cable. Cutting out Showtime, HBO,
       or other premium channel can save another $12-25 per month as well.

   11. Continue a bill payment. If you will be paying off a car or school loan in the next year, commit
       to continue to "pay the bill" by re-directing the money to the stewardship campaign after the bill is
       paid off. A $100 payment per month over three years is $3,600.

   12. A dollar increase per week. This is a great idea for those who have never given or do not see
       a way to increase current giving. Start by giving one dollar the first week, then two, then three, etc.,
       praying all along that the Lord would show you a way to add that next dollar and increase each week.
       If you were to keep this up for three years, you would give $12,000!

These are just a few ideas that can turn a $1,500 commitment to $3,000, or a $3,000 commitment to $5,000, or an $8,000 commitment to $10,000, etc. A little creative thinking and adjustments in our lifestyle can go a long way toward providing a facility for the next generation, the way the current generation sacrificed so we could worship in the facility we currently enjoy.