Remember what?

It is fascinating how much a mom is expected to remember on a daily basis.  It truly confounds me when I start making lists of all the tasks, appointments, and events I am expected to retain and manage.  To help combat that, we have a big, well it's large, okay, it's actually a huge white board in the kitchen to manage all of our schedules.  Well, that's really not correct, it's more for others to be aware they aren't the only person in the house who might have something going on.  It falls to me to maintain the schedule and insure that everyone is where they need to be for whatever appointment, class, event or job they need to be at.

I know our brains have the capacity to organize things like this, but it is amazing to really think about how much data goes through our brains and how efficiently it is organized.  Or at least, I hope mine is organized and efficient.

Ooops, it time to go....off again to another appointment.  Did I write that down?

Dear Mr. President,

What did you have for dinner last night?  I bet it wasn't hot dogs, because that is what we had, the only thing we could afford right now.  Or was your belly full from the meal your personal chef created or the dinner you had at a restaurant?

Do you ever look into your fridge and wonder if you will be able to feed your girls?  Do you ever wonder if your paycheck will cover what you need in a month?   Or if you will soon have to move because you can afford the rent?

I am happy that we have enough to have roof over us & food right now, because it could be so much worse.  But we are definitely headed that way.  Each month our ability to stretch our paycheck is incredibly harder.  Even Elastigilr had her limits.  We pay more rent because our landlord has expenses too.  We pay more utilities because the taxes and fee hikes are passed.  We pay more for gas for our cars because oil companies & our own government are greedy.  We pay more for less food because company still want to make a profit, so why not gouge the consumers.  

I wish I could run my finances like our banking system or even the federal government, then I would always have money.  I could pay my bills by taking money from others and putting it into a corrupt account.  And if I made mistakes with my money, I would be guaranteed a bailout without repercussions, like losing my home or job.

But I guess that world isn't the USA.

Sneaky kids

Part of me really enjoys the sneakiness of my children. It shows that they are intelligent and have initiative to concoct a scheme to get around me. And I understand my role perfectly, to provide that level of difficulty for achievement. This is done by watching them, listening to them, anticipating their movements and intercepting them, depends on what they are trying accomplish. Stealing a cookie is pretty low on the rung of sneaky, but slipping out to go to a party, ranks pretty high and requires a lot of due diligence on my part.

I love to watch them mentally work out the dynamics of their master plan, devising their scheme of action, their necessity of accomplices and their required tools for their goal. It's a lot more apparent with the little ones, they haven't learned the art of masking their intentions, so it's a lot more apparent and easier to read. The older they get, the more impressive they become in their deviousness and ingenuity.

It's a delicate balance between ensuring their safety, allowing them to use their intelligence and thus building upon it, and providing just enough challenge to be interesting.

Don't get me wrong, this is just the "normal" stuff kids will do to flex their proverbial wings in their growth to adult. I am not talking about the seriously scary stuff that comes with drugs or alcohol. That is a whole other topic and is not any fun at all.

Mmmmm...better go see what they are up to now.

Art of Paying Bills

What they don't teach in school is the art of paying bills.  It's an integral part of our lives, truly no one can escape it unless they live in a forest in the mountains.   The ease of paying a bill lies in the amount of money you have at your disposal.   I know that's really kind of a given, but it must be said because the art is when you don't have enough to pay each and every bill you have each month.  Even wealthy people have this dilemma, because most live to within their means or beyond, not matter their tax bracket. 

The most basic needs must be met first, rent or mortgage whether you agree or not, without a roof over your head, the other bills really can become moot.  This is usually a cost for the bulk of your income, if your lucky maybe 1/4  but usually for the middle income bracket, it's about a 1/3.  When it's 1/2 it becomes a dangerous area of survival, especially for families.

Next is utilities, such as electric, heat & water.  While you can fudge on paying this bill but probably only during the summers in the north, it's considered a basic requirement.   We all like to see in the dark, keep our food cold in the fridge and maybe take a bath or wash our clothes.   The juggling becomes interesting when this item is split into it's components; electric, gas/oil, water.  We will usually pick the one we need the most, electric & water. 

Another basic need that must be met and has the greatest flexibility is food.  Buying for one or two is a whole lot different than buying for a family.  A family's requirements are more stringent in what is required to insure a healthy child/children.  Thus, this cost is a big chunk out of a budget, sometimes as much as the utility, if not more.   Planning and execution can assist with keeping the cost down, but the economy can make this a difficult task. 

So if you have achieved paying your month outgoing cost to this point and you still have money left, congratulations.  Now the fun begins.  What do you pay next?  This is where you now enter the luxury portion of your life.  A car usually tops the list, because without a mode of travel, most cannot get to their job, so a car payment and the very least, gas, must be included. 

Next comes comforts, those can be different as the person buying them.  TV, phones, clothes, sports, coffee, lunch and/or dinner out, movies, books, etc.   These are where budget get cut.  Ever feel like you are the government?  This would be art and science department for schools, the "extras". 

Now if you still have funds available after your necessities and luxury, savings & investments are always a great bet.  This is where you can build of the little bit of extra you have right now, so in the future you can fall back into a feather bed instead of the hard concrete of life.   This is probably the most elusive to do when meeting basic needs is a challenge. 

One item that I guess baffles me because I am not a church-going person is the money that is given to a church.  I don't pretend to understand it, but I see where this is important to a lot of people.  A portion is given to the church, to each person or family it's different, but no matter how much is made, those that are loyal to their church will donate.  Even cutting into their basic need requirement costs.

Lastly, is taxes.  We can't escape them, although a few have tried.  This a major cut to our actual income and usually an expense we never really "see" because they like to scoop out of our ice cream bucket before we get it home from the store.  If we are lucky, we get a refund every year, but no where near what we paid into the "system". 

So each month is a balancing act to make sure the basic needs are met and still luxuries are available so life is more bearable.  Now to pass on that wisdom to the kids, when did they stop doing that in schools?  Now that's a life skill worth having.





 

Notes

Note:

: a brief comment or explanation: a printed comment or reference set apart from the text: a piece of paper money: a short informal letter: a formal diplomatic communication

I love notes.  A short little written passage that people never correct or change but allow to spill from their brain or heart.  This little touch of personal communication is an art that we truly do not appreciate.  So start writing.