We became a single income family overnight; my mom was alone
raising 4 girls. The hardest times were felt after the separation. I admire my parents; we never knew how little
we had. Later in life I learned how
often they went without in order to provide for us. When I was two, they moved us to the small
logging town of Drain and opened up a True Value Hardware store. My dad was an
aspiring entrepreneur, my mom a homemaker. With the fall of the timber industry, they lost it all. I believe it
was no coincidence, their marriage became a casualty with the death of our family
business.
I’ve had a fear of
not having enough money for as long as I can remember, so I’d like to think of
myself as a saver. However, history would prove otherwise (thank goodness for
Matt’s lead in this department). A budget
has always been important to me as I don’t thrive in the grey area of life; the
more defined the boundary—the better I do.
The subject of money was never really an uncomfortable topic
for me until I started making my own. The rise and fall of the economy has dramatically
affected our income over the past 10 years so I’ve learned a lot about
prioritizing and the commitment to long term planning. These are life lessons I am forever grateful
to have learned at a young age.
When I am spending money, I like to first spend it on
travel. A planned trip with my family or
vacation with Matt, this is what motivates me to save. I like to shop for myself, for Matt, for the
kids…for a complete stranger—doesn’t matter who, I thoroughly enjoy my role as
a consumer. While I still haven’t figured out a way to
make money shopping, I enjoy fashion and keep up through retail therapy.
So, what did I buy today?
I bought two books from Smith Family Bookstore, Jane Kirkpatrick’s
“Homestead” and “The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food and Love” written by
Kristin Kimball. Both books tell a story
about the journey of leaving a professional life to live more simply on a farm
in discovery of sustainable living.
Hypocrisy or irony?
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