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Preview A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More by Sam and Rob Fatzinger and download free resources and planning tools.

In A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More, husband and wife Sam and Rob Fatzinger share their extraordinary story of raising fourteen children on a modest income while living in an expensive metropolitan region. Their practical wisdom, hard-won spiritual insights, and Catholic perspectives on how they have created their own plan based on the financial advice of popular experts such as Dave Ramsey, Chris Hogan, and Brandon “Mad Fientist” Ganch will help you achieve your financial goals:

• Break free of debt — even if your family lives on one income.
• Pay off your mortgage and other big ticket expenditures.
• Save for long- and short-term goals.
• Enjoy fun family vacations without going into debt.
• Cultivate interior virtues such as gratitude and generosity to prevent resentment and hoarding.
• Help your kids become good money managers and discerning consumers.
• Achieve a happier marriage and family life through Catholic principles of good stewardship.

A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More

Free, downloadable resources and financial planning tools are available at FatzFam.com and at AveMariaPress.com.

 

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Practical wisdom, hard-won spiritual insights, and Catholic perspectives on financial planning. #catholicmom

The Fatzingers' publisher, Ave Maria Press, shared a peek into this advice-packed book.

Everything we have is from God—money, possessions, talents, and time. We own nothing, even our kids; it’s all on loan from God. We are entrusted with these gifts, and good steward- ship means gratefully accepting them, using them in a responsible manner, and sharing them with others. Rob and I tried to practice good stewardship as a couple even early in our dating relationship. We both felt that making our budget work in a way that would allow me to stay home with the kids was the key to laying the groundwork for our financial future.

For example, we didn’t spend a lot of money on impractical gifts or fancy dates. Rob knew right away I wasn’t going to expect expensive gifts or elaborate vacations when we got married. (I know, lucky guy, right?) For us, good stewardship wasn’t a legalistic burden. It was more of a continuous, consistent acknowledgment that everything we have is just on loan from God, and we are to make good use of it. Once you come to this mindset, it is anything but burdensome; it is freeing and a relief. It is comforting to know that with our finances, as in all things in life, God is in charge.

This doesn’t mean we didn’t go out and have fun together. We dated frugally—walks to a park for a picnic lunch, swinging on the playground, or watching old movies on Rob’s VCR (heard of those?). Cable wasn’t a thing yet.

Of course, my extroverted personality got frustrated sometimes staying at home, watching TV. I decided to give up TV for Lent so Rob would have to take me out more. Sometimes we went to the mall to window-shop (which Rob hated), drove downtown and shared a meal, or bought some high-calorie fried food from the food court and people-watched. Once in a while Rob would splurge and surprise me with dinner at a nice restaurant. Rob’s mom encouraged our budget-friendly dating by making nice dinners for us at her house for special occasions, like my homecoming dance. Rob’s least favorite date was playing tennis together; he didn’t appreciate my homerun hits.

These days we eat out about twice a month with gift cards that we receive as birthday or Christmas gifts. Sometimes we splurge, such as when I behave and don’t get my monthly speeding ticket (I seem to be a magnet for them) or when we go out with friends. We don’t feel guilty about the occasional splurges, since time with our friends is worth the extra money. These choices are intentional, rare, and within our budget.

It’s important to keep dating after you’re married, to help you stay connected and especially to get away from the kids. It is a small investment that keeps marriage—and faith—going strong.

A Catholic Guide to Living Less and Saving More is available in paperback and ebook formats.


Copyright 2021 Ave Maria Press
Excerpt from A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More by Sam & Rob Fatzinger is reprinted here with the kind permission of Ave Maria Press.
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