Over the last year, I’ve been bringing you tips and tricks about how to get your finances in order. It occurred to me, though, that you might not know why I even bother.
What does it matter to me that you know how to manage your family’s finances?
Why is YOUR budget important to ME?
I mean, why would I even care?
I think it’s time for me to explain.
I Care Because I’ve Been There
Justin and I were married in the summer of 2006. We had no money to speak of, student loans galore (over $125,000) and, within a year, were up to our ears in medical debt from his cancer treatment.
Living in a small town offered us a lot of experiences, and the one teacher income was one of them. There wasn’t another teaching job for me at the time, so any education I was paying for, wasn’t paying for itself.
The cost of living was high, so we spent most of our time trying to figure out how to make ends meet and, as two young adults who didn’t come from a background of finance, we legitimately learned as we failed.
And we failed big.
We over-drafted our account monthly. Trust me, I know how much money we could have saved if we had known better – or planned more effectively. And yet, we didn’t know how to.
We held off making utility payments until they threatened to shut it off. In fact, when we finally left that place and applied to have utilities elsewhere, we had to pay a deposit in order for them to take us on.
We ate chicken and rice, for no other reason than it was simple and cost very little.
We didn’t take vacations…and when we did, it was only because someone else volunteered to pay for them.
I Care Because I’m Still Struggling
It’s been over twelve years since we married and, over eight years since I researched how to effectively budget our money. Even after years of experience, though, I won’t kid you: our finances aren’t anywhere close to perfect.
In fact, we still have $100,000 in student loan debt. We were two kids that went off to college with no idea that scholarships were an option, or that community college could less expensively replace the first two years. To be a teacher…or a doctor…or a lawyer, though, that degree is critical. (It’s also the reason I put so much emphasis on how high schoolers and their parents should approach college.)
Additionally, we still have $3,000 in credit card debt. It’s considerably less than we used to have and I’m happy to say that we should be done with it completely in the very short-term.
We overspend categories of our budget, and no matter what happens, the moment we feel like we are going to make it – some animal needs a very expensive vet visit.
(This is the part where everyone with a pet nods their head in agreement. You understand, right?)
I Care Because I’ve Succeeded – And You Can, Too!
Despite starting out rough, we’ve managed to muddle through. In fact, we actually have quite a bit to celebrate!
We bought a house – one we never dreamed possible! It’s huge, with wood floors, and big enough to house our parents when they want to come to stay. It might be a little too big to be the home we live in forever, but it’s perfect for everything our family needs it for at this time.
We paid off $15,000 in credit card debt. It took years, mostly because our debt to income ratio was high, but it happened. In fact, we haven’t touched the cards at all since December 2017, even though we were VERY tempted at times.
We have a fully intact emergency fund. It’s not anything to write home about (although, my mom is probably reading this…), but it’s saved us multiple times from having to drag those credit cards out again and risk falling back into the same habits.
We actually have future goals, and we know they are feasible. Sure we had goals when we started out. Unfortunately, when you are living week to week and hoping to have enough food to eat at the end of the month, your goals quickly change from long-term retirement plans to survival mode.
We aren’t in survival mode anymore. In fact, we’ve just recently started putting money away to achieve one of our bigger goals: being able to travel the U.S. (Honestly, we are still undecided as to whether we will choose a motorhome or something to tow behind a vehicle, so if you have any advice – feel free to leave it in the comments below.)
We learned to live on one income…and didn’t starve.
We actually went on a vacation…to Vegas…and, because of our “save everything or die” mentality…we came back with most of our money.
I Care
I’m not perfect. My family isn’t perfect. And I truly hope I haven’t given you that perspective. What I can say is that I understand. If you are struggling with debt, student loan payments, or a lack of knowledge on how to begin managing your finances, you are not alone!
In fact, you are in good company, and I hope you will stick with me as we navigate these frustrating financial situations in an effort to meet a future that realizes our goals.
What I Can Offer
I’ve learned every bit of my financial knowledge the hard way, during times when we weren’t going to be able to eat the next week or make our rent payment. It’s not been easy for me, but that’s my blessing because it means I get the opportunity to share it with you.
While I’d like to believe you’ll get to all I have to offer you before you make the big financial mistakes I did, I know it’s much more likely that you, like I was, am looking for a way out of whatever financial mess you are in.
I’ve got good news for you: we can do this together.
I’ve got information on setting those goals, creating a budget, navigating the emergency fund, and how to apply it in every facet of your family life, from grocery shopping to purchasing back-to-school clothing. Not to mention, it’s only the tip of the iceberg…so if you are interested in improving your family finances, you will find no bigger supporter than me!
Tip: No matter where you are in your financial situation, it can be hard at times to navigate it on the income you currently have. If that’s you, check out the Blessed Budget Planner – it was created especially for you! (Find it HERE.)
