This is a guest post from Good Nelly, who is associated with DebtCC Community. She primarily writes financial articles in order to help others manage their finances and solve their monetary problems. Apart from writing, she loves to travel to new places.

This post is a bit different than my own writing on money/spirituality, so it’s nice to be able to provide a different take on it.

Is Thanksgiving the only time when we need to be grateful for what we have? No, I think we should be grateful every moment for what we have. Every morning ask yourself, what are you grateful for today?

I think the dollar is one of the most important things to be grateful for. Sometimes, even if you work hard, do you get the expected dollar in return? Probably, no.

It might happen that you had invested your hard-earned money in a stock expecting to get a profitable return, but things don’t turn out the way you want. But, you may get an unexpected bonus from your job.

So, I feel we need to be grateful for every dollar we earn.

How can you be grateful for every single dollar you earn?

Here are 5 ways to do so…

1) Be happy with whatever goals you’ve achieved

It is a good way to set financial goals, achieve it, and target another one. However, sometimes, you need to be content with what you’ve got.

For example, it’s of no use to set a financial goal that is impossible to achieve. Try to have more and work for it, but at the end of the day, if you can’t achieve it, be happy with what you’ve got.

You may want to save a million dollar within 10 years. However, be happy and be grateful if you’re able to save half a million. You need to appreciate that too!  Ed note: that’s 50,000/year, which is pretty good for most people.

2) Do not lose money on paying interest which you can avoid

When you take out a loan, like a personal loan or a mortgage loan, you have to pay interest. But, you can avoid paying interest unnecessarily on certain loans like credit card loans.

It’s difficult to avoid credit cards altogether, but they help you to improve credit score so have a positive aspect.

You need to manage it wisely, otherwise, you will have to pay interest on the outstanding balance.  Why pay interest on your hard-earned money when you can avoid it?

So, whenever you swipe your cards, make sure you’ll be able to repay the balance within that billing cycle. Doing so, you won’t have to pay a cent extra, and is another way to be grateful for every single dollar you earn and save.

3) Repay debt and serve God wholeheartedly

When you are in debt, you can’t serve God wholeheartedly. It is because, being in debt means you’re serving two masters, one ‘God’ and another one ‘debt’.

Therefore, you need to repay debt as soon as possible to serve God wholeheartedly.

One option is Christian debt consolidation. Doing so, you can make a single payment to pay your multiple bills, and you can repay the debt within a definite period. Many organizations offer Christian debt consolidation programs enrolling in which you can repay debt with professional guidance.

Apart from this, you can also opt for Christian way of paying debts through settlement or debt management program.  Whatever option you choose, solve your debt problems and pay your gratitude to God wholeheartedly.

Ed note: the religious aspect of debt and debt repayment is very personal.  Islam teaches followers to avoid debt, to avoid charging interest, and to avoid situations where you must pay interest.  That’s obviously easier said than done; many devout Muslims have a mortgage, and many receive interest on money sitting in the bank.

4) Value your relationships more than your material goods

Do not forget to count the best wishes you’ve received from your near and dear ones. Imagine how lucky you are as you have a home to live, food to eat, and you are healthy. A person who doesn’t have these, feel how important these things are.

Being healthy is also a blessing. So, be grateful that you have the necessary things to be happy. Do not run after material wealth. They are still achievable. But, you can’t buy best wishes.  So, nurture your valuable relationships and help others, instead of trying to possess the latest high-end gadget.

Doing so, your soul will be purified and it’ll be helpful for your bank account, too! You will save more.

5) Do not take your money for granted

You start valuing your money less when you have more money than what is needed to meet your basic necessities.  Everyone is not a born rich. So, remember the time when you had allotted every single penny to meet your daily necessities.

You had to follow your budget as otherwise, you would have fallen into debt. And, it becomes difficult to come out when you enter the vicious cycle of debt.

Just think how you had to reduce your expenses to build that emergency fund! It is worth your effort. So, be grateful for every single dollar you’re able to put in your emergency fund or use it to make your family happy.

Instead of money controlling you, control it for your happiness.

So, will you feel jealous the next time when you see your friend buying a big house or a car? Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on what you have and count the good wishes you have. Also, show your gratitude by helping others who’re not so privileged. Doing so, you’ll be happy and contented in life without worrying about money.

Ed note: charitable giving can make you feel more wealthy even as you give away money.  I highly encourage others to find ways to give, even if it’s in a modest way.

What are your thoughts on how to be grateful for the money you have?  Please share below.