By Steve Dragon

For most of my working life, I lived “hand-to-mouth.” If I had money in my hand, I spent it—usually as quickly as possible—on whatever felt good or fun in the moment: food, hobbies, travel, cars… you name it. I didn’t budget. I didn’t save. I didn’t plan. It was a cycle of work, get paid, spend it all. Rinse and repeat.

Back in the early 1990s, Beckie and I lived in Bellevue, Washington. Finances were tight—we had both experienced stretches of unemployment—and for the first time, we decided to try a budgeting system together: Rich on Any Income. It was our first real attempt at tracking income and expenses seriously. And… it worked. We made it through a very difficult season by staying consistent with the program. We kept records, lived within our means, and eventually got back on our feet.

But then, once things felt “stable” again, we slipped back into our old ways. Within a few months of consistent employment, we stopped budgeting altogether. No more records. No more tracking. Just… back to normal.

Fast forward to February 2020. We took a Financial Self-Reliance course through our church. I’ll be honest—this was tough for me. I knew how hard budgeting had been before. And truthfully, I didn’t like doing it. But we were in another tough financial spot, and we were committed to doing better. So in March, we gave it another go.

We used the software we’d had for years to lay it all out: projected income vs. actual and expected expenses. No surprise—but still a gut punch—we were over budget by more than $1,000. I knew I had to make some changes. So I canceled a few online subscriptions and unnecessary expenses. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. More importantly, we acted in faith—believing that if we did our part, the Lord would provide.

And He did.

Somehow, we made it through the month without touching our credit cards. We even added a little to savings and made a double payment on one of the cards. We were stunned—in the best way. The Law of Cause and Effect was unfolding in real time. We did our part, and the Lord did His.

April went just as well. June was solid, too. But by then… I started to slip. The software felt clunky, and honestly, so did the whole idea of budgeting. I thought maybe I could just “stay careful” without actually tracking.

Wrong.

July hit, and we had to dip into our savings and our overdraft credit. Even though our income was a little higher, we still came up short. August was worse—we used the rest of our savings and maxed out the overdraft.

The lesson hit hard and clear:
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” (D&C 82:10)

So here’s what I’ve learned:

March – June:
Cause: Produce and adhere to a budget; save a portion of my earnings; pay down and avoid subsequent use of credit accounts.
Effect: Miracles happen despite apparent “truths.”

July – August:
Cause: Budget? What budget? Just hope for the best.
Effect: On my own again, with miracles being less obvious or not present at all.

September and beyond:
Cause: Return to the principles. Create and monitor the budget. Track all accounts—even when money seems “fine.”
Effect: Expecting miracles again. And preparing for abundant opportunities ahead.

The Law of Cause and Effect isn’t just some lofty concept—it’s real. I’ve lived both sides of it. And I know which one I’m choosing going forward.

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