Robbie and I have always had money in common.
We have always kept a budget and over our seven years our budget has improved immensely and also our ability and self control to stick to the budget.
The only time we did not feel financially secure was when we bought our first house. We decided to buy a house because we had enough money in the bank to put down a large percentage and the mortgage on our home was only $200 more expensive then the rent we were paying for our apartment. The first time you buy a house no one tells you about the extra $5,000 in closing costs...so by the time everything was done we had almost no money in the bank, which did not make us or the bank very happy. We had to borrow some money from Robbie's parents just to make the bank happy so everything could go through, and of course we paid them back in a few months.
It was crazy to see our bank account plummet like that, and it took a while to build it back up. But even through that time of not feeling financially secure, we didn't worry and we never had a lack of financial serenity. We didn't worry because we both had jobs and we knew how to budget, live within our means, and save. We saw the fruits of living this way, we were able to buy a house and we had financial serenity. I'd call that a win.
Start Quote
Financial security is never having to worry about money again
because you've accumulated all you'll ever need.
In today's uncertain economic climate
- when the only thing we can expect is the unexpected -
how long do you think it will take for us to accomplish this?
[Let me tell you...it's probably never going to happen.]
Financial serenity is never having to worry about money again because you've discovered the [truth]... We can begin to experience it today regardless of our economic condition.
Financial serenity starts when we accept as our truth that money is a state of mind and that abundance is a state of belief. When we choose abundance, we become rich in the Real. We attain true wealth. Of course, money is part of personal wealth, but so is love, inner peace, harmony, beauty, joy, perfect health, authentic expression, discovering your bliss, pursuing your passions, fulfilling your Divine destiny...
There are certain actions we can take to increase our wealth.
The first is choosing to live on less than we earn,
so that we can save and share more.
Many of us want savings accounts in theory, but psychologically resist them. That's because we associate savings with deprivation instead of gratification. For in order to save we must do without something else. What we don't consider is that having a savings account enables us eventually to experience authentic satisfaction instead of the cheap imitation of instant gratification.
The way to start saving money on a regular basis is to
think of it as a positive choice, one that affirms your abundance....
Your savings is a "positive affirmation that
you have more than you need at the moment."
End Quote
Start saving what you can.
If it's new to you, put $5 into your account from every paycheck.
Then after that gets comfortable try $10, etc etc.
Savings are also amazing for rainy days, like when your car decides to die or you end up in the hospital or you get fired and can't find work for a month or two.
Try to work your way up to three months
of living expenses, and then six months.
And don't forget retirement...
Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
You'll be glad you did.
A good old fashioned pickle jar is good too for coins and spare bills for a project. I think that's the only way I'm going to get my command center in my kitchen...the problem is that the last few months I've been spending my spare cash on immediate gratification buys, and not the long term goals...
Just keep trying, and it'll all work out.
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Gratitude Journal
***
1) I told you how awesome my friend is yesterday, right? Well I don't think I told you that she washed my dog. Yep, you read that right. She washed my dog. Now that's true love.
2) Date night. It felt so good to get out without the kids and be a couple.
3) Food, such good food! We haven't been to Black Angus in forever, and when I saw the coupon in the paper at the beginning of the month I wanted to go! That molasses bread, the spinach artichoke dip, the salad, the shrimp, the chocolate chip cookie and ice cream...oh, my, goodness...I was literally in heaven it was that good.
4) Robbie and his dad. We have been super blessed with awesome parents, and Robbie's dad today continued his tradition of being awesome. He came over and helped Robbie finish tinting the front of the house! They worked from 8-1 or something like that, and I'm so grateful they did. The house is already cooler, and now the syn lawn hopefully won't get charred to a crisp again. Thank you thank you thank you to these men who work so hard on our home and save us so much money because they can do it themselves.
5) My parents took Riley for the weekend, and she waved to us as they left like a princess. It was the most adorable thing ever! I'm so grateful for our parents. They are too good to us.
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