Just before I wrote this column, I was patting myself on the back. It’s not something I do very often, but I feel like I’ve earned it tonight. And, as much effort as the task took me, it set the stage for good habits and good results.
I’m sure you’ve done something that, after it was completed, made you feel like you’d made a positive change. I’ve long thought that life is divided into sections like a pie, and that there are some events that make the slices seem to fall into place. For me, getting married had that effect. Though it was a big life change, for me it was much better to know that I didn’t have to worry about the “dating” slice of my life as much anymore. Though it would still require some work over time, I felt like I could stop holding my breath and really start living.
Though tonight’s task wasn’t quite as drastic as marriage, it gave me a similar feeling when I set it up. Tonight, I officially started being diligent about my finances.
Before you judge me too harshly, it’s not like my money situation was completely out of control. But, as many of you may have experienced in the past, there are adjustments to be made when you are living on a small income. I don’t mind that we are not rolling in the dough, because I love what I do, but it does necessitate watching the pennies a little more carefully.
I’d been putting it off because, as you may remember from earlier columns, I am a perfectionist procrastinator. I didn’t feel like I had access to the right tools, and I didn’t think my knowledge about such things was where it ought to be, so I kept reading and making half-hearted efforts to get things organized.
There wasn’t an official turning point for me, really. It’s not like I made a major mistake that warranted me asking for money from everyone I knew. I just reached the point where I realized that, if I kept better track of our money, we would have more cash flow for things that we really cared about. And those things weren’t uninspired fast food and $25 bank fees.
So I just sat myself down, and I did it, with the help of Mint.com (a service that I highly recommend, and with whom I have no affiliation with whatsoever). I liked the service because it was free, and it helped me put all of my accounts in the same place. It happened to be the right tool for me at the right time. And because I am a highly visual person, the graphs were just the ticket.
The moral of this story isn’t to jump on the computer and enter all of your expenditures (though I can vouch for how much relief can be gained from knowing what’s going on with your money); it’s really about jumping in and sorting something out that has been hanging over your head. Wouldn’t it feel good to put together a household first-aid kit for emergencies, or write a letter to your aunt in Toledo, or dig out your birth certificate, car title, passport, or what have you and put them someplace where they can be easily found when you need them? Some of you more diligent than I have probably already done these things, but I’m sure there are other things that would fit the bill for you personally.
And when you’ve finished, be sure to reward yourself. Though, if the way I feel tonight is any indication, getting it done may be reward enough.
Confessions of a Pollyanna 