Getting What You Need

You can't always get what you want. But you just might find you get what you need. You've said a mouthful, Mick! Big picture is a comfortable living, meeting our needs and allowing for luxuries. Right now, we're in the little picture...caring for our children at home, working pretty much the opposite of my husband (though not full-time), trying to pay down debt and literally saving change in an electronic counting bank for Date Night. We are not going without, by any means. We are very fortunate we started curbing spending before we bought our house and had our children. But we could have spent less earlier!

We have learned to look ahead to big bills, like taxes, insurance, etc. Planning the year, financially, has been critical to our current success. We have also started a savings account! Yes, at 32 I finally have learned to save money for the things that we don't always see coming. I have really enjoyed to be able to write a check for things that a decade ago I would've just whipped out a credit card for. It feels good to have money to pay for things we need.

I have run the gamut of emotions for my financial past. Annoyance, depression, anger...toward myself as well as my parents for never teaching me financial responsibility. This range of emotion has culminated in the fierce mommy-money-mode that I will change the way we use money and credit, and I will teach my children how to spend, save and plan for their own futures. I refuse to make them feel shame about money.

But we are not where we want to be fiscally. Yet. We know how we want to live and how we want to feel about being able to provide for our future. And we are on the way. I know right now is an in between stage; I've got aspirations, concrete plans...I have seen success in small doses, and I know I want more! I am trying to find balance between being in the moment and planning for the future. My true priority is being the best mom I can and creating a happy, loving and comfortable home. Knowing the difference between the things we want and the things we need is just another daily lesson this mommy needs to remember along the way.