Today I realized that I have not posted since February of last year: twenty whole months!! What could have kept me from you so long, dear readers? The short answer is that I got pregnant shortly after my last post. The morning sickness was intense. We sold our house and moved. Then we moved again. Then I got really sick. Then I gave birth. And since then, I have been adjusting to mothering three children and getting my strength back. I am looking forward to being able to post here again.
As the budget keeper and tracker of the house hold, over the years I have spent countless hours sweating over the simple excel spreadsheets that organize our incomings and outgoings. It's quite foolish, but I think I secretly believe that if I just organize it better or look at it the right way, the budget will magically iron smooth and there'll be all this extra money that I never saw before.
It's called DENIAL. My eyes were telling me something I was unwilling to see: there really wasn't enough money for us to live on, no matter how lean I cut the groceries. Unwilling to trust my own judgement, I showed our finances to four seperate people in various money related jobs - bank managers, financial planners, etc. They all said the same thing: pinching pennies wasn't enough. We needed either to earn more income or move.
We wrestled with earning options, none of which were practically feasible, while struggling to keep out of debt.
And then, as we started looking at the work/school/pre-school schedule last year, we realized we were going to need a second car. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. We were stretched so thin that there was no more give.
So we put our house on the market.
It was hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. When it sold, I was just so relieved to have a chance to make a fresh (smart) start. And we did - in a modest, simple but well built home within walking distance of work and school. For the first year or two, there won't be that much of a difference in our finances - but after that we are going to see major payoffs.
I often have posted about ways to save a quarter here, two dollars there - but sometimes you need to look at the bigger picture. Step back and really assess without fear. Will saving $75 bucks a month make a difference - or do you need to trim hundreds from the budget? Because skimping on cleaning supplies and cuts of meat only goes so far. We knew deep down for a long time what we needed to do, but we were afraid. Afraid of all the hard work, uncertainty and letting go. But now that it's done - I am so grateful. It was a wise decision. I don't feel trapped in a corner anymore. And I no longer get upset tummy when I pull up the budget spreadsheets.
So often, we sort of... let our lives happen to us. We end up in a relationship... So we find a home. Then we need a bigger car so we go and trade in. Pants are on sale, so even though they don't really fit, we buy them. Financially, this passive way of living is a recipe for long term disaster. I know, because its how I often do things. Choosing to sell our first home was one of the first big life choices I made using something other than emotion (it's called my brain. Who knew?)
"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." - Benjamin Franklin
If pinching pennies isn't enough, maybe you need bigger change (haha - pun).
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