I am sure many of you, over the years, have been told “Money is the root of all evil.”  That is a paraphrase of the Bible verse “The love of money is the root of all evil.” I Timothy 6:10. Carl Sandburg repeated this phrase, saying “Money is power, freedom, a cushion, the root of all evil, the sum of blessings.”  Louisa May Alcott paraphrased it to include “Money is the root of all evil, and yet it is such a useful root that we cannot get on without it any more than we can without potatoes.”  Even George Bernard Shaw and Mark Twain jumped on this phrase, but their viewpoint was slightly different; “The lack of money is the root of all evil.”  However you want to quote the phrase, it has definitely become a cultural staple!

            I would like to add my modern interpretation.  That is “Credit Card Debt is the Root of Many Family Disputes.”  We have previously shared that, when our children were young, we seemed to end up with a credit card bill at the end of each month that began a discussion about “How are we going to pay for this?”  After several of those not-so-calm discussions, we really focused on developing a family Budget, separating our Checking and Savings accounts, and developing within that Savings account what we refer to as Sub-Accounts.  The money that we put into the Savings account was divided amongst the Sub-Accounts such as Medical, Vacation, Insurance, Education, a General Walk Away Fund and VISA, to name a few.  When we used a credit card to pay for something, we would then move the money for it from one of the Sub-Accounts to our VISA account so when the credit card statement came (and it was never late), the money would be there to pay the bill.

            Our children are adults now and we still use this Sub-Account system.  We are reaping the benefits of setting aside a small amount of money each month.  We have been able to have the money for once-in-a-lifetime vacations!  During 2017, and again this year in 2026, we are drawing from the monthly funds we set aside in a Wedding Sub-Account.  A few months ago, we reached the limit we were going to contribute to this Sub-Account again.  Just in time, as we have another child getting married this year!  In our first sit-down discussion with her and her fiancé, we worked to develop a wedding budget based on what we are able to contribute.  Not only have we set limits, but the engaged couple has a clear picture of a few areas where they will need to share in the expenses.

            Four years ago, when we started construction of a new house, we were very conscious of shopping items and pricing them to stay within our budget.  After determining a budget and knowing what you are willing to invest, it can be a long and lengthy process to price out items and evaluate if the cost overrun in a certain area can be made up by savings in another.  This is hard work and not for those who are used to just buying the first item they see!  Remember, “Costs can easily balloon out of control when, in effect, you give a blank check.”  (Kiplinger Personal Finance, September 2025).

As I mentioned a couple months ago, knowing you have a plan for your money makes you more secure and less worried.  If you have never used a budget or would like to start over with a new budget for 2026, we offer a basic budget format on www.SpareChange.Systems.  We also offer information regarding developing Sub-Accounts.  Check out our resources for a positive and profitable 2026!