I had a teacher in high school, Mr. Johnson, who always had these little sayings. He would say them like 9 billion times in class & they are ingrained in my brain FOR-EVER:
- W-O-R-K is not a radio station.
- Lord willin' & the creek don't rise.
- If is half of Life.
- What the world wants is result, not excuses.
Of course at age 15 I thought he was nuts...but now at age, uhm, older than 15 he was exactly right. And the older I continue to get- the man makes a lot of sense...
Excuses are a funny thing. We all use 'em... whether they're little excuses or big excuses. My all time favorite excuse people use is money. Now - you know me - I don't try to ruffle feathers on purpose, but sometimes this really gets me. I think money should be added to the category of 'things you don't talk about' like religion & politics.... With that said - here I go again...
Example: How many times have you heard someone say, "Oh, I don't have ANY money." Yet-they've just gotten a new tattoo. Do you know how much tattoos COST?! Obviously they had the money to pay for that.
True story: someone I know took their son to like a field day thing at school that cost $25. After she signed her son up, she heard the woman behind her crying that she didn't have the $25 for her kid to play. Of course they told her, "it's ok- he can play." A while later my someone noticed the crying lady talking on her iPhone... & her other child had one too.
HHHMMM she has the money to A) buy at least 2 iphones & B) pay the monthly charge on at least 2 iPhones but don't have $25 for your child? Really?
What I WISH people would say is, "I don't want to spend my money on THAT." That's a much more honest answer. I would rather someone be honest than give me a flimsy excuse. Honesty is always the best policy, after all. And I think it's just one of those things that a lot of people say without even thinking. It's like saying 'I'm too busy' when really maybe you're not - it's just a good excuse.
You will never hear me say that I don't have the money for something. It's not that I'm rich by any means (have you MET B-rad?), it's just that I decide what I will or will not spend MY hard earned money on. There's nothing wrong at all with that. Own it. It's ok to NOT want to pay for something.
You'll get no judgement on that one from me.
We live in a modest home. It's quaint, yet big enough for us but it's not what I consider a super 'nice' home.....not because we don't have the money for it, but because I would rather spend my money on Faith Hill tickets. (See where I'm going with this?)
Had a gal tell me she couldn't go somewhere because she 'didn't have the money for gas'. While she's talking to me on the phone she says, "Ok - I gotta go. I'm picking up Pizza from Papa Johns." UHM.
Priorities is the word. My priority is driving a new car. My priority is going on nice vacations. (B-rad's priority is spending money as fast as humanly possible.) I cut back in other areas so they don't interfere with my new car & fancy pants vacation budget. Like I said - those are MY priorities....
What are your priorities? Got any guilty pleasures that you cut back on other things so you can splurge on them? Think I am way off base? Wanna deprive your children of food & shoes & go to Vegas with us?
7 comments:
"Gotta make hay while the sun is shining!" There's one for ya! Remember that one?
I am right there with you! A priority for me is having a cleaning lady. Yet people judge me all the time because I have one. I never talk about it but if I do, I get all kinds of rude comments or remarks. We do not drive new cars. They are used and PAID for! That's what works for us. If I had it my way, I wouldn't have cable. Don't watch it, don't want it! BUT my husband HAS to have ESPN. I know what you mean. It's annoying! Something that is worth it to you, might not be worth it to you and vice versa. We can still love each other! :)
YES, Alicia! I forgot that one! I say that one all.the.time!! Lord help me! :) good 'old Mr. Johnson!
Although I have been known to say "I don't have the money", I get where you are coming from. When we moved we didn't actually need to at the time it just kind if happened, in the meantime it gave us very little wiggle room in the budget. So I guess I should say, "I would rather have a bigger home for our boys than go out to dinner a couple times a week or take a vacation". We also splurge on phones, cable, and Internet. Although those would be dropped in a heartbeat if I had to.
I have guilty pleasures.. like getting my nails done, and smoking.. but I will totally skip buying groceries if I have to! haha
You know what I am guilty of spending way too much money on? FOOD! I love to eat out, and Lord knows I waste our hard earned money on food. Also, clothes for the kids. Geez, that's a big one! I'm sure there are plenty more, but those are what come to mind off the bat :)
I am SO with Alicia! I splurge on having someone clean my house every two weeks. I try NOT to tell people that I pay someone to clean us because people DO tend to be judgmental about that. I don't consider myself lazy because I pay someone to clean my house twice a month. I see that as a way to build in more quality time with my family because I don't get stressed about cleaning.
You are SO right about priorities!! I work at a school with nearly 80% of our students on free or reduced lunch, yet SO many of our students have fancy phones. I DON'T HAVE A SMART PHONE. My phone is totally a dumb phone, but it's cheap. My priority is NOT my phone, but where our students come from, it's totally a status symbol. Please . . . judge me by my phone. Ha!
Don't forget...'Repetition is good for the soul!' I bet I say that while coaching at LEAST 20 times a week! haha! Aww, good ol' Mr. Johnson! :)
Alicia-Everyone here has cleaning ladies. You all should move here! ;) I don't, but I don't care if someone does...I'm just green with envy! haha! :)
I, too, can't stand to hear people complain about money. People will do it on Facebook and it takes all I have to fight the urge to point out to them, 'ummm...you are on Facebook, which means you have internet, which means you have either a computer and/or phone, which means you could cut those expenses and have about an extra $100 a month! You're Welcome for helping you with your budget!' ha! But, I don't say anything because I am too nice! ;) ha!
My guilty pleasures are 1. Getting my hair done. That is a non issue when discussing money in this house. It is part of the yearly budget, just like gas and groceries! ha! 2. Iced coffees from Starbucks. I probably get 2 or 3 a week. They are only a few dollars but we hardly ever eat out, we rarely go for nights out with friends, etc so if I want to spend 9 dollars a week on coffee, I will.
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