Dad, I’m Hungry

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Financial Planning

It was 3 a.m. when our seven-year-old son came into our bedroom, tugged on my arm, and whispered, “Dad, I’m hungry.”  Being awake at 3 a.m. did not surprise us as we had flown across the Pacific Ocean the day before and were now experiencing jet lag.  My son’s body was telling him it was lunchtime, since it was noon in Maryland where our travel began.  Unfortunately, finding food was not going to be easy.  We were staying in a guest flat in Papua New Guinea, a developing island nation in the South Pacific, far removed from the convenience of buying food in the middle of the night.  

I began opening bare cupboards in the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat.  Cupboard after cupboard was empty.  Then my eyes spotted it.  A prior guest, bless their soul, had left a large bag of rice!  We quickly heated a pan of water and cooked the rice.  We have never enjoyed plain rice so much!  My son was content – his tummy was full - and we were thankful.  We all went back to bed, falling asleep satisfied.

In hindsight, we had not planned for this “emergency.”  We had not packed snacks in anticipation of 3 a.m. hunger.  The Bible encourages us to prepare for the unexpected, “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down” (Proverbs 21:20).  This is especially true in the bigger picture of our over-all finances.  We should have three to sixth months of living expenses set aside in a savings account to weather unexpected financial crises, those situations that won’t be solved by finding a gratuitous bag of rice on the shelf.

We learned our lesson for future international travels – always pack extra snacks!  Likewise, let us all strive to set aside emergency funds to get us through financial difficulties.  If we do, we will sleep better knowing that we are prepared for whatever “emergencies” life throws at us.  

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

doug@christianwm.com

(208) 697-3699