The following are Web Site links and descriptions of various resources that deal with finances within marriage. We pray they will help you as you work together as a team with God in this area of your marriage.

• www.crown.org For Biblically based help on financial matters from investment advice to everyday financial and budgeting questions you can visit this very helpful web site to obtain just about anything you could need to help you manage God’s money to the best of your ability. They even have an international outreach.

• www.elliekay.com — As an author, speaker, media personality and spokesperson, Ellie Kay is helping families around the world gain control of their money and find new meaning in life by expanding their roles in their communities.

• www.family.org This is the web site for the great ministry of Focus on the Family. One of the many features of this web site can be found when you place your cursor over the top bar that says “Relationship and Marriage.” A drop-down box will show up and you can select a topic which will give you a number of articles to read. You can also select “Time and Money.

• www.familylife.com This the web site for the ministry of Family Life Today. This is a great ministry and they have a great web site that you could find very helpful. In particular, if you go into their web site and click into “Articles” and then select “Finances” into their search feature at the top, you will find a long list of articles you can choose, from which you can read concerning children’s effect on marriage.

• www.realrelationships.com This is the web site for Dr Les and Dr Leslie Parrott who are a husband-and-wife team who not only share the same name, but the same passion for helping others build healthy relationships. In 1991, the Parrotts founded the Center for Relationship Development on the campus of Seattle Pacific University — a groundbreaking program dedicated to teaching the basics of good relationships. Their web site has free videos that you can view on your computer which gives relationship advice on many different subjects you will deal with in your married lives together including “Finance.” We highly advise that you visit their web site to see what they can offer you.

RESOURCE DESCRIPTIONS:

• ABSOLUTELY AMAZING WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON EVERYTHING - by James L. Paris, published by Harvest House Publishers. “Christian consumer Advocate” Jim Paris offers biblically sound financial principles and ideas to help you cut expenses and get your money’s worth every time. Discover hundreds of ways you can make your money work harder and last longer—save 30-50% on clothes, realize tremendous savings on groceries, find the best deals using the Internet, invest for financial security and children’s education, maintain your home and yard with minimal expense, arrange unique, low-cost vacations, buy furniture and appliances at far below retail value, and more. This book is packed with practical suggestions and information to make your dollars stretch further, and shows how you can stay on budget, achieve financial security, and still have fun!

• FIVE STEPS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM—Money Management Made Easy -by James Wise, published by Hensley Publishing. The principles taught in this book can transform your financial life. They’re logical, practical, and true. The fact that they’re grounded in God’s Word, if you commit to completing this study purely for its financial content, you won’t be disappointed.

In this comprehensive study, author and financial coach James Wise identifies the five scriptural principles for obtaining financial freedom, and shows you exactly how to implement them no matter what your current situation. Through language that’s simple to understand, and a format that’s uncomplicated, he demonstrates in detail how to set realistic financial goals when it comes to budgeting, saving, reducing debt, and giving. By using information, charts, worksheets, applications, and real-life scenarios from his financial workshops, you’ll discover how easy it actually is to immediately apply what you’ve learned.

• FRUGAL FAMILIES—Making the Most of Your Hard Earned Money - by Jonni McCoy, Now in an updated and expanded second edition published in by Bethany House. This book offers proven money-saving strategies for you and your family that will save you thousands of dollars every year. It’s nice to have such an easy to read, helpful book with so much information readily available at your finger tips.

While McCoy’s first book focused mainly on saving money on food and groceries, this new book deals with subjects such as: kids, gardening, vacations, insurance (LOTS of insurance information), electronics, appliances, home furnishings, cars, computers, and more. It’s packed with helpful information, loads of web sites, holiday help ideas, etc. and is a great inspiration to those who don’t use coupons. It details ways to save money in practically every manner of family living. Need window treatments? No problem!

There is an entire chapter devoted to beautifying your house on a budget. Thinking about taking a family vacation? Make sure you read Chapter Six, complete with toll-free phone numbers and hotel alternatives. There is even a chapter on how you should budget your money, and how to work at paying down your financial obligations so that you can live a debt-free (and stress-free) life! Buy this book now.

• HOW TO SAVE MONEY EVERY DAY -By Ellie Kay, published by Bethany House www.bethanyhouse.com. Ellie Kay first gained fame by teaching families everywhere how to painlessly save big bucks each week on groceries and household supplies—and have a bounty to share. Now, with her signature humor and practical creativity, she reveals simple ways to save money each and every day! As Dennis Rainey, the Executive Director of Family Life says of Ellie, “What can I say? Ellie Kay’s the Coupon Queen of the world! Actually Ellie’s ministry is one of the great services to families across our nation. I applaud her in helping all of us be better stewards.” You can also read more about her on her web site at www.elliekay.com. Buy this book now.

• LIVING WELL ON ONE INCOME In a Two-Income World -by Cynthia Yates, published by Harvest House Publishers. This book can be considered to be your own seminar—in the privacy of your own home. Cynthia Yates shares her method for living satisfactorily on any income and leads you to the start of a new path, one that will guide you as you journey towards living well on one income, toward living with compassion for others, and at all times living to the glory of God. Some of the subjects covered in this book are: A Cheerful Heart: the Right Attitude, Live Within Your Means, Let’s Organize, It Pays to be Savvy, Roll Up Your Sleeves, Use Things Up— Waste Not, Discover Your Creative Genius, Presentation: Is Everything— Or Is It? and To God Be the Glory.

• MONEY TALKS AND SO CAN WE -by Ron and Judy Blue with Jodie Berndt, published by Zondervan Publishing House. This book will help you and your spouse talk openly and honestly about the vital topic of managing your money. It will show you and your spouse how to operate as a team, overcoming your individual weaknesses and uniting your strengths to cultivate vision and prosperity in your marriage. You’ll learn how to bridge the financial communication gap you may be experiencing, learn how to put together a truly enjoyable planning weekend, combine your efforts to handle the basics of developing a budget, getting out of debt, invest wisely, create a will, look at the pros and cons of a dual-income household and learn the challenges and rewards of giving, and more.

• THE CHRISTIAN’S GUIDE TO WORRY-FREE MONEY MANAGEMENT -by Daniel Busby, Kent Barber, and Robert Temple, published by Zondervan Publishing House. This book will give you a balanced approach to worry-free money management. You can have financial freedom. There is hope for your financial future. You can live within the plan God has designed for you. The primary themes of this book are: Depend on and trust in God, handle money responsibly, give generously, save mightily, work industriously, and invest wisely. Each chapter is filled with dozens of tips for building a solid financial foundation, including: developing a personal financial plan for each stage in your life, saving time and money on your taxes, selecting the right types and amounts of insurance, buying, selling, or refinancing a home, investing in ways that honor God and build your wealth, planning for your retirement, borrowing wisely and managing debt.

• THE WORD ON FINANCES—Topical Scriptures and Commentary -By Larry Burkett, published by Moody Press. Larry Burkett has organized this book to be an invaluable collection of relevant Scriptures into one easy-to-reference volume. It has topically arranged Bible passages and a concordance that focuses attention on key issues of finance and stewardship. If you are doing Christian Financial counseling, or just interested in biblical financial principles, this book is a must. Larry Burkett has laid this book out to be an excellent reference with biblical references for each topic. Buy this book now.

• THE WORLD’S EASIEST GUIDE TO FINANCES -by Dr Larry Burkett with Randy Southern, published by Northfield Publishing. This book offers a quick way to get a handle on: Budgets, Wills, and Trusts, Insurance, Retirement, Charitable Giving, College Planning, Investments, and Debt Reduction. You also get all this and more: Quotes full of wit and wisdom, quick formulas for financial success, most asked financial questions, stories you can relate to, sample forms for your financial goals, and quizzes. It contains 410 pages packed with financial information plus it includes an interactive budgeting CD-Rom. Buy this book now.