Walletwin Academy || a Catholic Budgeting Course (2024)

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“What on earth are the Walletwin Academy and Catholic Budgeting? It all sounds very fishy to me. Why should I read beyond this first paragraph?”

I’m sure something like that has just gone through your head as you read the title of this post. But stick with me… all will become clear! But first, I’d like you to reflect on a few things:

Have you also noticed that daily life is getting very expensive? That the weekly food shop is more costly? That the pending rises in energy bills are staggering? That you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all?

Good. I’m not alone. That’s reassuring. D’you know what? All is not lost. Yes, we’ve a period of intense belt-tightening and some struggle ahead.

But by learning some serious budgeting skills and coming together as a couple or family, this can be a time of living well.

By “living well”, I mean ensuring you’ve enough to cover the daily basics as well as set aside a financial buffer for tough times (with which life is often peppered).

And with some budgeting discipline, you’ll also be preparing to live out your vocation; ultimately, to serve those in need.

Crikey. That’s ambitious. Just how do I do that?

Counterintuitively, I’m suggesting you spend some money on a budgeting course. In particular, a Catholic budgeting course created by Jonathan and Amanda Teixeira of Walletwin Academy.

But why spend money when money is already tight? That’s mad, surely.

Well, how many of you (particularly those born after the mid 1970s) learned how to run a household budget?

How to be disciplined and save for hard times?

How to give generously and wisely to those in need?

Walletwin will teach you how to and – more importantly – why.

Money and Its Emotional Wounds

I’m sure there are quite a few amongst you who, like me, never learnt such things. It wasn’t a topic of conversation at home nor was it a subject at school. You were just expected to know about it. Somehow.

As a result, money and finances can feel like a real struggle at times… but is it the money or is it us?

One of the first things this budgeting course deals with is healing those wounds and insecurities we now have around money.

Insecurities such as:

“I’m rubbish with money. I always was and always will be”

“I can’t give money to charity or the Church. I’ve not got enough”

“I have to save everything. I mustn’t spend at all. What if I lose my home and job?”

“But if I don’t buy that fancy dress / car / holiday, then people won’t love or respect me”

“A bit of debt is ok, isn’t it?”

Pause and think about how a couple of those statements could cause some incredible friction between people. Might also hold a person or entire family back from really living well during the good times, much less the hard times.

Ouch.

For those who are married or engaged, it might be worth pointing out that some of the biggest arguments between couples are often triggered by money. How one person spends and the other doesn’t. Why one person spends the way they do and the other doesn’t.

Imagine understanding the wounds your beloved has around money and they understand yours.

Consider how much more love and compassion you’d have for each other.

Then start healing those wounds together.

That’d be pretty good for a marriage and family life, wouldn’t it? Particularly during the interesting times in which we’re living.

Add some practical budgeting skills to a more solid relationship based on love and understanding and you’re less likely to be arguing over the cost of baked beans, fuel or food preparation.

And more likely to get through these financially tough times together and stronger.

But at least one of us in this relationship knows how to handle money. Why do I need to do the Walletwin Academy with my spouse?

Because the challenge and discipline of budgeting together, of talking about what is important to both of you, is what lifts you up. And when you are both lifted your marriage and family are lifted too.

And when families are lifted and full of love and confidence, even during a period of struggle, then that has a a good and profound effect on a local community.

All this from a budgeting course!

And this is what makes the Walletwin Academy Catholic Budgeting course different to a number of budgeting methods out there. It demands you examine your personal ideas and struggles around money and finances as well as how you can change them.

It’s not just the practicalities of simple budgeting that can change the way you live. With healing you’ve also got created a stronger personal foundation that’ll spend money wisely, save money prudently and live well.

If even a few people could do that, what a different world we would live in.

But I’m Single? How is a Catholic Budgeting Course relevant to me?

Imagine you’ve been offered a job in a new town, but you can’t afford to move there.

You’d love to travel but you’ve so much debt you can’t.

You want to retrain to change career but you haven’t the money.

You feel called to volunteer and help the poor or maybe join a monastic community, but can’t because you’re in debt.

One day you want to get married and have children, but believe you can’t afford it.

I think you can see why the Walletwin Academy Catholic Budgeting course might be the way to go. Might be the way to let God take you along the path you’re meant to tread.

Why is the Walletwin Academy a Catholic budgeting course?

I’m sure both the Catholics and non-Catholics reading this are well aware that a Catholic world view is somewhat counter-cultural. Today, having faith already makes you stick out from the crowd. You’re a hippy but with a different sort of incense in your life.

As for the The Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching (particularly “Respect the Human Person” and “The Principle of Subsidiarity”), well! These are wonderfully challenging as they impact every aspect of living. In addition, they demand nuanced cogitation and reflection in a time of memes, soundbites and social media shorts.

So is it any wonder a Catholic world view will also influence how to respond to and use money?

Cue Walletwin Academy and their Catholic Budgeting course. Now, please note, the bulk of the course that deals with the emotional healing as well as the practicalities around money is applicable to anyone from any walk of life or faith.

Sure, there’s the occasional saint story thrown in and reference to Dominican mother houses, so it’s clear where Jonathan and Amanda Teixera stand in terms of faith and how they lead their lives.

It’s in the God + Money section towards the end of the course where there is a much deeper dive into how a Catholic faith should influence our attitudes to life, money and the simple art of budgeting.

Once equipped with skills to sort out your finances, you’ll also have the theological and philosophical framework to live well.

But I’m not a Catholic!

Well done! You’ve made it this far. Time to buckle up though: I’m going to be quite blunt here.

Yeah…and?

Be you a person of faith or a person without, not only do we all need food on the table and a roof over our heads. We also need a purpose in life.

Probably more so if you don’t have a faith as you’ve got one shot on this Earth before it’s an eternity of nothingness:

You really don’t want to fluff this one chance up.

At least a Catholic has Purgatory for a while before there’s a chance of Heaven for all eternity.

And before you Catholics get too smug, remember; that time in Purgatory might be a tad shorter if we don’t fluff up our time on this Earth.

So what you need to reflect on is:

Do you want to face your death knowing you worked hard with the gifts and monies you were given to live well?

That you loved your family well (NB your children want to spend time with YOU because they love YOU. Exotic holidays and theme parks are not important, but love and time with YOU is the gift they will remember).

That you served those in need well.

What do you mean ” to serve those in need”?

I mean Charity. One of the Three Theological Virtues along with Faith and Hope.

In the long term for a Catholic, charity might look like building a monastery or a parish church or establishing a new order of nuns (!) if that’s your particular calling. Like a Renaissance Patron of Old. We need a few more of those, please.

But on a more immediate level, it would mean giving much more generously to support the parish priest or youth group or church soup kitchen.

For another person of faith, change “parish priest” to vicar or rabbi. The youth group and serving the poor still stands.

For a person without faith… ermmm… OK, I can’t immediately think of a direct swap of a parish priest into a secular role that you could support. BUT! Youth group. Serving the poor. It all still stands.

Not sure where to start?

Discern where your own wounds are (childhood trauma, domestic abuse, addiction, bullying?) or what gaps need to be filled in your local community (new windows at the village hall? Coffee mornings for the OAPs? More support for the foodbank?).

Use your time & money to heal those wounds, fill those gaps in the local community and create good things.

The point is, Walletwin is about getting our own houses in order, so that we can get our relationships in order, so that we can go out into the world and help – in small ways and in tiny corners – get that in order.

That’s powerful stuff, regardless of faith and very much what the world needs right now.

Oh, and any extra bits you may learn about Catholicism with this course will make you just that bit more interesting at any future dinner party or pub quiz. Amen to that.

Where Can I Sign Up To Walletwin?

For readers of this blog, there’s a 14-day free trial plus a $10 discount on the Walletwin Academy Course. CLICK HERE.

For readers of this blog who are parents to grown-up children that could do with some extra financial guidance, maybe buy them the course for a birthday or Christmas.

In conclusion, yes, there are potentially very hard times ahead. But there is hope, whatever your faith.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is budgeting important?

To begin with, budgeting means you can put a roof over your head, food on the table, clothes on your back and shoes on your feet. These are the fundamentals of living and will become increasingly important over the coming months.

Once you’ve got these sorted it’s then about preparing for the difficult times (unexpected job loss, death of a spouse etc), followed by saving and investing for the good times. Finally, budgeting means you can live out a life of service and provide for those in this world who need it the most.

So do it.

How can I learn budgeting?

As you would any other skill. Read up on it, or do a course (like the Walletwin Academy). Then practice, practice, practice…

What skills are needed for budgeting?

Determination, self-discipline, some basic arithmetic and patience. Did I mention practice? Yes, lots of that. I’m still practicing!

What does God say about my finances?

Golly. There’s quite a bit in the Bible about money and thus, by extension, what God is advising you to do with your finances. However, I think Proverbs 30:8-9 sums up what we should all hope to achieve in this life:

What does the Bible say about wasteful spending?

Enough said, really.

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