Starting as a young college student with a single-minded goal of becoming rich, Hunt saw her checkbook as the perfect place to launch her dream. Next came credit cards with their subtle enticement to buy now, pay later.
And pay she did. By her mid-thirties, Hunt had amassed debt of $100,000. After a failed business venture with her husband, the couple faced financial ruin and the loss of their heavily mortgaged home. For Hunt, it was the end of the line. But for God, it was just the beginning -- He finally had gotten her attention.
On the 13-year road back to financial solvency, God gently taught Hunt some life-altering lessons about compulsive spending-tips she now shares with her readers.
One of the first assumptions she squashes is the time-honored belief that men manage money and women manage relationships. Putting the genders in these boxes has incapacitated both men and women, Hunt cautions. Women need to learn responsible money management every bit as much as men need to open themselves emotionally. So why is it that women "don't do money"?
Hunt urges her readers to examine their values and belief system about money. Is it an object of worship? Does spending money work like a tranquilizer to quell anxiety and make women feel happier -- even though they know it's only until tomorrow? Is money the measure of success, or is it instead a mark of evil where poverty equals righteousness? Does money buy love and approval?
Learning to become adept at finances, particularly for compulsive shoppers like Hunt, means a healthy dose of self-examination and honesty. Only then, she says, can women form new, healthier habits of self-control.
One habit Hunt encourages is tithing -- giving a portion of our money back to God. Not only is this scriptural, but tithing with a cheerful heart turns a taker into a giver. It is an act of worship, gratitude, and obedience, says Hunt, and it is the first step toward becoming financially responsible.
Hunt offers practical advice to stay out of debt; build up a nest egg; prepare for emergencies; and learn to invest. And she is masterful with suggestions on how to cut spending. Borrowing from her newsletter, Cheapskate Monthly, Hunt shares the joy of being frugal. Name the category and she has ways to save money -- car, food, banking, utilities, and entertainment. To help readers keep these suggestions in mind, she has also prepared a desk-top, flip calendar: Being a Financially Confident Woman Every Day of the Year.
By applying these principles, women not only will conquer their money management fears, but also hear a lot less good-byes in the process.
Elizabeth Davey is a freelance writer and director of Pro-Life Partnership in Tampa Bay, FL.
Copyright ©1996, ProMotion, inc.
www@acloserlook.com