Welcome to my new blog!
There are probably millions of blogs that talk about personal finance, and a million different stories about people making changes for the better in this changing economy in which we're all living. Our story is the same as so many others right now....we are increasingly finding it difficult to keep the incoming money greater than the outgo of cash. And that's a strange place for us to be because, for the first 20 years of our marriage, we almost never had any debt. We went without a lot of things, but somehow managed to always keep ahead.
But, oh, how times have changed!!
The life that used to be do-able for us on one income- albeit without a lot of frills- has increasingly become a distant memory. With teenage drivers, college costs, and all the myriad other expenses associated with five kids, we find ourselves in this panicky financial vortex, with money literally hemorrhaging out of our lives. I began to notice about two and a half years ago that my money at the grocery store suddenly wasn't buying what it always had. In the years since, it has become a sad and stressful event to go shopping for anything. I think that nearly every product we buy has been downsized, reformulated, or altered in some way so that what I am getting now is NOT what I got before! I have friends and neighbors who have lost jobs, and some who have found themselves faced with lives they never thought they'd lead. So far, we've had no job losses here, but who can know what might lie in the future??
Because of all this uncertainty, and because we truly believe that God has supplied what we need, we have decided to literally and figuratively turn over a "new leaf" in or lives, or rather, a "new greenback", if you will!! The dictionary defines turning over a new leaf as "making a radical change for the better in one's way of living". This journey is more mine than my husband's; he is a saver by nature, and frugality comes easily to him. But I like to spend!! I love to get good deals, and I can be as big a bargain hound as the next coupon-crazed, deal seeking mom. But if you spend more than you make, even if it's just on the so-called "little things" like too many trips to McDonald's when time is tight, you're going to run into problems sooner or later. And in an increasingly sour economy, and with expenses like we have, there's no more room for silliness.
The past few years of our lives have been some of the most difficult we've ever gone through. We've dealt with everything from a premature baby and very sick mama (that would be me!), to job-related injuries, company buyouts, and a completely altered routine for our home life. Tough stuff, all of it. But lately, as we see our littlest one beginning to grow up, and the waters of our lives calming just a little bit, we've decided to make some changes, some real changes, so that we don't have to keep dealing with that sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs every time payday comes. I know that we can do better with the money God has given to us, and I am very fascinated at the thought that the financial changes we make can not only change our financial balance sheets, but can also change the very fabric of our lives and experiences, in ways that are sometimes profound.
There's a scene in the movie,"It's a Wonderful Life", that gives a picture of what we're after in our lives right now. In the movie, George Bailey, after a run on another local bank, pleads with the customers of his Building and Loan Company (a type of bank) to only withdraw from the Building and Loan the amount of money they really and truly need. Some, in a panic, want to withdraw everything they have. But others, realizing what is at stake in their town, ask for only the few nickels and dimes and dollars that they know they must have to survive. I want to be like that woman in the movie: I want to be able to look at my finances and our lives, and really separate the true needs from all the other frills that have become an unquestioned part of our routine. Because, just like in the movie, everything in our lives -depending on what we do right now- is at stake. Financial choices, for better or worse, have the potential to shape our lives in deep and lasting ways for years and years to come. Or, as my husband said tonight, how little, really, can we get by on??......I have a feeling that the answer will shock me.
I hope you'll join me on this journey, though I have no idea what I'll be blogging about! I think that financial changes will cause me to look at every corner of our life in new and uncomfortable ways. Many of the financial blogs I have read have been a tremendous encouragement to me, and have provided a lot of food for thought. I hope that this blog will not only be a creative and encouraging outlet for me, but will give you encouragement on your journey as well!
And one last thing: if you've never seen the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life", do yourself a favor and either rent it or request it at the library. It will be the best thing you watch all week!
Ready for the journey to begin!
Susan
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