Tete-a-debt
Finances are such a sticky subject! How much someone makes is by no means an indication of their financial stability. This is one of the reasons that I find watching the show Till Debt Do Us Part so much. It makes me feel very responsible.
We met with a financial planner last week to take a look at how we are headed financially and things are okay but it's always a tricky balancing act to keep your head above water. It's no wonder to me that so many couples split up over financial problems. We hear quite often how we are some of the richest people in the world just by virtue of living in an affluent country. Though this is true it still doesn't mean that we can live outside our means. That can be a huge temptation in a society such as ours.
Though my husband and I have pretty similar stances on spending and we both try to be as thrifty as possible that doesn't mean that we are all set. I am, after all, a stay at home mom and my husbands work was quite slow this summer so the belt got tightened. However, it maybe should have been another notch or two tighter than we made it. We had just managed to get ourselves out of debt and, low and behold we're back in the hole. Thankfully it's a fairly shallow hole but it will still take some time and careful planning to get out of.
We here so many times about people complaining that they are so broke. Some of the people that work with my husband were quite upset when the times were tough this summer. They weren't sure how they were going to make it work. I know that there are a lot of people living outside of their means and they don't have a back up for times getting tough. Even though we are in an affluent society you can run into trouble very quickly when you're using so much credit and such an ability to borrow.
Sometimes things run the other way though where people will continue to complain about being broke while spending on such frivolous items. I don't thing there is anything wrong with going out to eat, going on elaborate vacations and buying beautiful things. Those are some of the wonderful things that create lasting memories and give us joy in life. The only problem I see is when people get the idea that those things are necessities. In order for me to afford things like that I need careful planning, saving and a lot of time. Spending is not something I take lightly and although there are things I would like to be able to purchase I watch for those items to be on sale, I research for the best price or I am careful to only do them on occasion.
This is the time of year when saving gets difficult. Debt does tend to pile up during the holidays and it seems like there is an unusual amount of fund raising and obligations this year. As a result I know that my personal spending must be limited even more than usual so the watching for sales begins now and I hope that friends and family understand lack of elaborate gifts under the tree. Though it would be wonderful to be able to buy my kids every toy that catches their eye I hope that as they grow they realize the greater gift we have given them of financial security and the stability of a budgeted home.
We met with a financial planner last week to take a look at how we are headed financially and things are okay but it's always a tricky balancing act to keep your head above water. It's no wonder to me that so many couples split up over financial problems. We hear quite often how we are some of the richest people in the world just by virtue of living in an affluent country. Though this is true it still doesn't mean that we can live outside our means. That can be a huge temptation in a society such as ours.
Though my husband and I have pretty similar stances on spending and we both try to be as thrifty as possible that doesn't mean that we are all set. I am, after all, a stay at home mom and my husbands work was quite slow this summer so the belt got tightened. However, it maybe should have been another notch or two tighter than we made it. We had just managed to get ourselves out of debt and, low and behold we're back in the hole. Thankfully it's a fairly shallow hole but it will still take some time and careful planning to get out of.
We here so many times about people complaining that they are so broke. Some of the people that work with my husband were quite upset when the times were tough this summer. They weren't sure how they were going to make it work. I know that there are a lot of people living outside of their means and they don't have a back up for times getting tough. Even though we are in an affluent society you can run into trouble very quickly when you're using so much credit and such an ability to borrow.
Sometimes things run the other way though where people will continue to complain about being broke while spending on such frivolous items. I don't thing there is anything wrong with going out to eat, going on elaborate vacations and buying beautiful things. Those are some of the wonderful things that create lasting memories and give us joy in life. The only problem I see is when people get the idea that those things are necessities. In order for me to afford things like that I need careful planning, saving and a lot of time. Spending is not something I take lightly and although there are things I would like to be able to purchase I watch for those items to be on sale, I research for the best price or I am careful to only do them on occasion.
This is the time of year when saving gets difficult. Debt does tend to pile up during the holidays and it seems like there is an unusual amount of fund raising and obligations this year. As a result I know that my personal spending must be limited even more than usual so the watching for sales begins now and I hope that friends and family understand lack of elaborate gifts under the tree. Though it would be wonderful to be able to buy my kids every toy that catches their eye I hope that as they grow they realize the greater gift we have given them of financial security and the stability of a budgeted home.
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