Thought for the Day

Givers have to set limits because takers rarely do.
-- Irma Kurtz, Cosmopolitan Magazine, September 2003

This struck me as really profound this weekend. It's the weekend of the financial reckoning. The weekend where I hand the reins over to my husband.

Part of me feels very 1950s Housewifeish. I'm not the one in control. But part of me welcomes this change. Major Man isn't shutting me out of the budget decisions, he's just the one doing the footwork. Our budget is posted on the door, as is our current debt load.

It's been eyeopening. For me and for Major Man. I don't think he realized the situation or why I was freaking out two months ago because I knew that the day was coming where we'd run out of credit.

It's not THAT bad, please don't think we're a hundred grand it debt or anything. But we have a credit card, a line of credit, a truck loan and high rent. We're the working poor it seems.

But not for long. Because we are not IN debt, we are climbing out of it.

We may need to downside, we will need to make some tough decisions. I will need to keep my fingers OFF the credit card.

But we shall also be improving living conditions and we will be happier. My outlook has changed this weekend from "oh my gosh, how much longer can I do this" to "I can so do this" because now I'm looking at where I can cut the fat.

I'm even considering biking to work!