Entertainment

"On payday my kids and I would always go out to eat and celebrate. They looked forward to payday," says Jan Northington. "They got to choose the restaurant, and they always chose Bob's Big Boy, so we had fries and burgers every two weeks on payday."

You might not think there's money in your budget for entertainment, but this is a necessary category to allocate funds for. If you excluded this category from your budget, you would probably end up pulling money from another category and using it for occasional entertainment activities.

There are several free and low-cost activities you can participate in. Check your local newspaper, library, or community center for these activities: concerts, outdoor movies, magicians, plays, clubs, school fairs, craft shows, sports events, and more.

"Entertainment is important," says Mike Klumpp, "but you may sometimes think you can pay for it as it comes. The danger is that you overspend. You say, 'Well, I've earned the right to this, so I'm going to take my family out to dinner and the movies tonight.' Then you sit down at the end of the week, you look at your budget, and you're short. If you budget for entertainment, you'll live realistically within your means. You can look forward to it; you can reward yourself with it. And it won't come back later and bite you."

Be thankful to God for the money you have. Use it wisely and enjoy it.

"Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift!" (Ecclesiastes 5:19 Msg).