Show me the money

So I have decided that financial responsibility does not come until you actually have money to spend, or you have something specific in which to save. Yes, I understand the idea of credit card debit, but that is not an option for us. If we do not have the money, the item does not get bought. When money is short, the decision not to buy is easy. The hard part comes when there are funds available. This is when my inner tightwad battles the desire to purchase something.

I have always been the one to save, for the most part. I remember a time in second grade when Jason and I were in a close race for the most class dollars (you received money for doing good things and then you could buy items at the class store). Rather than buy items at the class store, Jason and I saved all of our money; then it became a contest. In the end, I spent a good deal of money on a putt-putt trip with my teacher. Though it was hard to let go of all of that cash, it was money well spent and still one of the greatest memories I have of my elementary school days. I'm not sure what Jason's reward was for ending up with the most money.

Well now, as well all know, the money is real. Now it comes down to making smart decisions. My folks taught me to save because you never knew what will happen. Though it is never fun to shell out money on something you don't want to pay for (for me it is usually my car), it is nice to have the money and not worry too much about it. Today my inner tightwad lost out, and a new computer was purchased. I "need" a new desktop. My laptop is great, but it is starting to wear out. That worries me because a great deal of my PhD work, and thus the work of the past 4 years, is on my laptop. I do back up my hard drive, thanks to you John, but I need to get into the habit of doing it regularly to reduce the risk of important files being lost.

This new purchase will keep me in line for the next few months. Hopefully, we will make wise decisions concerning our money. Brian gives me total control of the finances, which puts my control freak mind at ease. I have to admit, I had a hard time when we each had our own account and I didn't know what his looked like. I would also like to think the control freak aspect of myself only comes out at times, like with money, but I would probably be lying. Hmmm sounds like another blog in the making...