Wednesday, January 17, 2007

If I Were A Rich (Wo)man

August 15, 2006

Money can't buy you love. Money can't buy you happiness. But what about REM sleep and peace of mind?

I'm not sure I'll ever really feel "financially stable." While we all look forward to the possibility of an end-of-year raise, with it comes a 3% increase in cost of living. Mortgage payment goes up as property value goes up. BGE rises because too many people need light and air conditioning...imagine that. Jeans don't cost $30 dollars anymore, but $130, along with shoes, shirts, etc, which are all conveniently required to be sported at most restaurants and stores.

So how do you do it? How do you ever get there...the place where "paycheck to paycheck" is simply a bad memory? The place where you don't panic that something terrible will go wrong with your car, or that your AC unit in your house doesn't blow up, because frankly, if it does, you're going to be doing a lot of walking, and a lot of sweating, because you just can't afford to fix it any time this century. Or lifetime, really.

So then determine a plan, a budget if you will. What can I cut out of my life that's not exactly necessary? Perishable foods? Sure. Canned green beans and corn diet...daily increase in salt intake might skyrocket, but you can't beat 20 cans for $10! I suppose I don't need to run the air conditioning in 1000 degree heat this summer, and maybe I could give up Target and switch to Walmart? Ugh...but Walmart makes me itch!

If you've figured it out...a solution to the "poor wars" please fill me in. As long as it doesn't involve winning the lottery, which I've already tried.

So while $$$ may not buy some things, it will buy food, clothes, and most importantly, pay the bills. Which I'm pretty sure will result in a good nights sleep and peace of mind. I'd put "money" on it.

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