It’s a Question of Priorities…

Ok, so I’m going to rile a few feathers here and not make many friends but there is something stuck in my craw that needs to be spit out…the feeling of many people in America that America owes them something, anything just because ____________.
(you can fill in the blank here)

Anyone growing up and studying American history in school heard stories of the immigrants that came to America and immersed themselves into the process of being American. They sweated and toiled and yes, most of it was at the behest of an industrial machine that treated them like dirt.

But through it all, the immigrant continued forward for himself and his family looking ahead for a better day and life for all of them. This was their dream and it made America what it is today.

Today, we are immersed in a lifestyle of gadgetry and so much junk that we spend a considerable amount of our hard earned dollars on luxuries and not staples. Our heads turn like Linda Blair (the Exorcist) whenever we go into a store full of electronic gear and other toys. We spend and we obtain our goods and we go home to our own enjoyment. We work hard; we deserve these things, right?

I, personally, do not have any problem with anyone spending their money on whatever they want to as long as they have sufficient funds to pay for the staples in life. It is the staples that sustain us and not the luxuries. If we can have both then we are lucky indeed but we need to be cognizant of the balance of life in our financial matters.

Paula and I early on in the relationship set up an agreement that we had a limit that we could spend without asking for approval from the other half and that has worked well for us for 33 years. It also set a boundary that we were well aware of and needed to pay attention to it. We have had our tough times but we have made it through because we both realize that luxuries come after staples and not the other way around.

Also, we understood that you have to save for a rainy day and you can not live at the edge and expect someone else to pick up your slack when things pop up.

As our children grew, both Paula and I kept our focus on what were the future needs of the family and how were they going to be paid. Because we did this our kids were able to go to the places that they wanted to go and were able to participate in what suited them. It wasn’t always easy but having a plan and setting money aside well before it is needed helped greatly in getting things paid for in a timely manner.

I am not saying this works for everyone but I think the base element here is this…you have to decide what is important or not for you and your family. You have to make a plan on how it will be funded and then do it. And most importantly, if you fail to plan and do not have the funds then you need to look at yourself and not someone else to bail you out. That doesn’t mean that you beat yourself up over it but you need to own it so you can understand how you can successfully accomplish your next goal.

So look around and see all that you have and think about what is needed in the future for you or your family and how are you going to accomplish it. Once you get the plan down you will see that you might just fund your luxuries a little less and that you will have more money for the “staples” of life.

It’s a question of priorities and deciding what is important in your life. If you decide that luxuries are more important than staples then be happy with the decision and adjust your life and attitude accordingly but stop the complaining, it won’t help until you decide to change.