The Power of Money

In the last two days, I was reminded of the power I give money in my life.

Yesterday, I found myself waiting for money to buy gas to get to an event. The money was late arriving, and I was overcome with emotion -- angry, anxious, disappointed, unappreciated, impatient, etc. The money arrived, and I got to my destination in time, but I hated the emotional rollercoaster that I allowed myself to go through.

Then, today, I received a portion of some money I was owed. I was so relieved to get it. I immediately took my daughter out to buy some much needed shoes and clothes (she's 10 and we haven't been financially able to shop for anything extra in months). We found many great deals and spent less than $40 on 2 pair of sandals, 2 pair of shorts, and 3 designer tees (gently used).

However, tonight I found myself in a familiar spot.

Once again, I went from having no money to having enough to spending it much more quickly than I ought. This is familiar pattern with me.

I wouldn't say I "throw money away", but I don't manage what I have well. Some things I need, but that could wait, I purchase before I have to, leaving me in the hole. For instance, today I bought additional fabric I needed to finish sewing my 14 yr old's graduation dress that has to be done by the 16th. It wasn't much money, but when you add it to hair products for the family, materials for a high school project due Tuesday, dinner for the girls, and gas, it took up all I had. I could have picked it up during the week after more income had come in. As I review my spending for the day, I could have delayed a few of the purchases and wouldn't find myself lacking again.

This is a frustrating place to continuously revisit.

Last week in our Financial GPS class, we began exploring the emotional impact money has, and has had, in our lives. One goal of these sessions is to help us better understand why we handle money the way we do. We were given several reflective homework assignments to get us started in this process. I will definitely start these tomorrow because I am tired of letting money control me instead of the other way around.