Hello all! It is the morning after a powerful storm around here. Yesterday we had rain, then last night (late again) we had a band of nasty storms go through the state. It literally was a band that went through the state from north to south - I doubt it missed anyone. I do not like these nighttime storms. It is scary.
The sirens went off about 10:30PM - there were some very high winds in places. Luckily, I again am safe and no damage or problems. It didn't last very long but is created a mess for many. I sure hope all are safe.
This morning it is calm, the birds are singing, kitties all fed, picked up a few branches down in the back, and the temps are nice.
It looks like it will cool later as the week goes on, and they are even talking frost again by the end of the week. THAT is why we don't plant until after Mother's Day around here!
I bet you have! Have you ever sat down and figured out how much you have earned in your life? It is truly amazing to think about.
We neither one ever made a ton of money. We neither one ever made a lot of money. Sounds redundant - but I see a 'ton' and a 'lot' as different. We never made per hour what people make today. Of course we didn't have the expenses a lot have today. BUT the point I will make - is that we lived below our means and we worked HARD to pay things off early and we planned for an uncertain future.
We did have a few moments of good fortune that happened out of bad/sad moments. We put those things to work and used them the best we could.
First, I left a job, that just got to be too much stress. It was an employee-owned business, and I had worked there long enough that I was vested. So, when leaving - I did get a payout of stock funds and profit sharing. THAT is the time we sought a 'financial' guy. We made good decisions with that money and invested. So many people that left or got bought out, when the company changed spent every single dime on STUFF - had huge taxes to pay and penalties, and eventually didn't have anything to show for it.
Glen got the opportunity with his job to invest a percentage of pay with a thing like 401K (govt). He had the max taken from his check and invested. We hardly noticed any change in pay, as it came out before taxes. We also saved a minimum of 10% from each check.
We bought a home we could afford. Either one of us could make the payment without the other. We worked hard on paying extra principal payments every month. We did this for several years.
We received a small inheritance from my mom, and we used it to pay off the house. That was a big investment to us. We paid it off in 15 years.
We always drove older vehicles. Neither one of us had ever had a new car. We promised ourselves a gift WHEN ever we paid the house off. We bought our first and only new vehicle. We paid it off in 2 years.
Glen got to a point that he had to quit working due to his physical problems. He wasn't old enough to get retirement with the city (years of service + age). Once he got disability he could get his retirement. Well, anyone that has ever tried to get disability knows it takes time. Glen truly wanted me to be at home when he had to quit. So, we had NO real income for well over a year - we lived on savings. Luckily, we had major things paid in full, and it was just basics, but they did add up.
I did work part time for a while at the last business I worked for, and they really wanted me - so I gave them my pay requirements (outrageous I thought)! Joke on me, they said yes!! LOL. First time/last time I ever made that kind of money. I also did some side work for a friend's business, taking care of his tax info. a couple days every few months.
Mainly I stayed home and took care of things here. I was 51 when I quit working and had no retirement for myself.
Once he got approved for disability, we did get retirement and back pay. We did use a bit of that to help pay off the car early and the rest was invested (again the finance guy).
G wanted me to be able to live well and not worry when he was gone. It worked. I live a comfortable life, but a simple life. I do get his retirement and I get social security. I live on, much less each month than I have come in - so I do manage to save every month. I live on minimal funds, not because I have to, but because I want to. (I know I am lucky). I do not know what the future holds, so I want some protection.
*****
Now I tell these things to let you know that lots of small steps can be taken to get you in decent shape. You may not make a ton of money, but you can still live in a way that pays the bills and saves. It truly is about choices.
You can still have fun. We had fun and did things, but nothing was expensive that we chose.
Yep, crap happens - and sometimes it is stuff you can't control. That can eat up those funds or create new bills. Take a big deep breathe - study the situation and come up with a plan to get through it, past it, and get back on track. YOU CAN DO IT!!!
You may have to make some harder decisions and give up a few 'fun' things for a while - but in the end it will be worth it. It does take work, but it is soooooo worth it.
Feeling secure is priceless.
So, if life and bills get you down - make a plan. Change things up. Do everything in your power to change the situation in a good way. It truly is possible with effort.
I know some of you have shared stories in the past on how you got to a 'comfortable' life. If you want to share something that can help others and encourage them, please do.
Have a beautiful and blessed day.
Glad you are safe!
ReplyDeleteIn our early years, I always wished we could get paid the 1st of each month-1 lump sum. All bills paid first and X leftover. Biweekly pay meant 10s or 20s-way too easy to blow those bits. But 50 or more? That would have been substantial in the mid 80s!
That would have made life easier. I always got paid weekly, but G was every 2 weeks - so it was stretch out. It sure is easy to just 'piss' away little bits here and there - so very easy.
DeleteIt takes effort to save, I hope a lot of the younger ones reading figure it out early.
Hi Cheryl, You both made a long series of sensible choices. I am glad you are ok. I took am ok. When Andy died suddenly I knew that many women in these circumstances lose their home/income/security and are in deep trouble. I was very grateful I had my home and could stay here.I am glad you got through the storm intact! xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you. G had a good idea that he would not be able to work at some point, so a plan was hatched to be in decent shape. I am glad you are good. Security is so important. It can be very troubling for many. Some women don't even know anything about their finances. That is also very important - both should be aware of what is going on.
DeleteVery enlightening and practical post! I'm sure all of us at some time have thought the same thing. You and Glen were blessed in that you were on the same page regarding finances. The Farmer and I talk how much money we wasted over the years, eating in restaurants. In the last few years, there have been only a handful of meals eaten out. By the grace of Yehovah, neither of us have any of the bad habits of smoking, drinking, or gambling.
ReplyDeleteErin is coming by tomorrow to get some surplus plants to put in two places at her house. I suggested she plant a row of green beans too.
Doing laundry today but going out to check on storm damage. That was quite the storm that blew through. Glad you didn't have any damage.
Enjoy your day!
Thanks. I had my 'spendy' years before Glen. I wasted so much money - and did have some bad habits!!! Got smart when I was with the right person. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way.
DeleteHope there is no damage. It sure was a heck of a storm.
I think a lot of people live in the moment and never ask themselves "What if?" and it is pretty shocking to read those news reports that say a big proportion of the population have very minimal or no savings at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree - it can be shocking. I hear a lot of stories, and it just amazes me that these people did nothing to prepare for the future. So much can happen, not to even mention older age, and people just seem to ignore it all.
DeleteGlen was a wonderful man.
ReplyDeleteI must agree 110%! He was.
DeleteSomeone I once knew said managing finances was just adding and subtracting and in many ways that is true. The things that worked for me were saving as much as possible, paying off debt as soon as possible and investing in low-cost mutual funds. (I’m my own financial advisor.) I have no money worries and it feels good. I think it is harder for young people today. Barbara M.
ReplyDeleteIt really is just adding and subtracting. Not spending more than you make!
DeleteYou got it!! Those are the things it is all about. I just don't know much about investing and I haven't been steered wrong yet.
It is a wonderful feeling to have no money worries. It does feel good.
I do think it is harder today - because people want it all now! We knew how to wait for what was worth having.
It may be that some people want it all now. But there are real issues with housing costs, health insurance and child care. And then for homeowners there is home insurance (extremely high in my area) and property taxes. Yes, some parts of the country are less expensive but I can understand people wanting to stay near families. Many jobs do not give people 40 hours a week. Grocery costs can be adjusted and you give great tips about that but some costs are hard to cut.
DeleteYes things are a lot more expensive, a lot - but wages are higher than I could have ever imagined too. We intentionally lived below our means. We bought an older home, that needed some work - it still was a lot less than many people we knew bought. I have known folks that lived above their means and those who have lived below. I have also known many who never tried once to save a penny for the future.
DeleteBarbara, after seeing what happened w a relative,s estate, I'm so glad that we chose low cost mutual funds and learned enough to be our own financial advisor!
DeleteThe relative was
splintered into so many investments! his wife was also concerned about continuing to afford their living situation.
And his f.a. sure was living a life of luxury.. (once, We were invited to visit the
broker,s new vacation home. I suspect the broker was thinking WE would invest w him.😖)
Years ago Harvey would buy the occasional scratch ticket. On one of those tickets we won $25K. Instead of spending the money on bits, I talked him into putting it into savings and eventually we had enough to pay off our mortgage, 10 years earlier. Then that money was put into savings and used to purchase retirement savings and other items to put our cash into. Some was left in our regular savings accounts and used to purchase a vehicle for cash.
ReplyDeleteI still try and save what I can, when I can.
God bless.
What a great story. A super windfall and a very wise way to use it. Best investment ever. That is so cool. Congrats!!!
DeleteWe had a friend win $100,000 on a ticket when they first started here. He saved it and invested. He was a very hard worker. He passed young, and his wife had every penny gone in a year or more. All we could do was shake our heads. She asked us at first how to take care of things, and we advised her. She listened to nothing.
Every penny we manage to put back today, is one that helps tomorrow.
I cringe when I think back at how much money I wasted during my working life, buying lunch each day, take outs at night, always the latest clothes.. and my husband was worse in living the high life.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't until a decade or so ago that I changed dramatically and now I like living the simple life and seeing how much I can save.
Hindsight is 20/20!!! What we know now - wish I realized it all at a much earlier age.
DeleteSometimes a lightbulb goes on - and we just change our ways. I am glad you have embraced the simpler life and are saving.
We never made lots of money either, and we weren't always wise with our money either. But then I started working full time from home 15 years ago for the first time and finally got a clue! Since then we have really tried to catch up and live far below our means. It works, too. We have no debt except a very small mortgage that will be paid off in the next 3 years. My husband can no longer work and I am fortunate enough to work from home to be with him so we are saving commute money. I have money automatically put into my 401K and savings. I feel so much better having that cushion.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you can be home with your husband and still make an income. That is a HUGE blessing. There is so much to be said about being a caregiver - it is tough but a 'job' full of love.
DeleteIt seems it takes a long time to get it sometimes, but once it happens, the ball really seems to roll. I am so glad you got to that point, and your days are much better now.
Cheryl, these are my favorite type of posts because I love personal finance. I just listened to a message yesterday about being a better steward. We've made a lot of money and paid off vehicles, bought cars for our kids and every time we think we're ahead, David gets laid off. He hated those jobs anyway and the stress was killing him, but the money was good. Now he loves his job, but the money is just enough. We've gone from abundance to lean and back again, many times. The one regret I have is spending during the abundant times. I should have saved more. But I've had to turn that over to the Lord and hopefully grow from it. We both believe my time is better spent at home, taking care of everything, which is exactly where I want to be. I would love to hear more about budgets and finances, as you feel led to share.
ReplyDelete