Empowerment

I think this blog was the best idea I ever had. It has really made me focus on the one area of my life that has been the biggest challenge as an adult, and it's made me feel so much more in control. I didn't really think a blog could do that. I feel proactive, I feel like I've got my shit together. I'm awesome. Seriously. 

But enough of that. 

I do want to share a couple of things that this has taught me in a general sense, though. The first being, this stuff isn't so hard. Even if you don't have any money. What is very hard is not being afraid of doing something with your funds. It's easy to feel like you've got it covered living paycheck to paycheck as long as collectors aren't calling you day after day. It's easy to just let it slide and not build up any savings or make a long term plan when you're in a temporary job and not really sure what your other long term plans are. It's really really easy to just not think about the road ahead of you when you're 26 and pretty healthy and aren't married and don't have kids. But once you decide to think about it, knowing what the plan should be and mapping out how to get there is a whole lot easier than it seems. And the younger you are when you decide, the easier that part is. With time on your side, money is secondary. I don't care what snobby Cantabrigians say about Suze Orman, she taught me that. Time is way more important, and I'm  miles ahead figuring this out in my 20's than if I waited a whole lot longer. 

Another thing I learned. Feeling in control of my financial life has spilled over into the rest of my life, and I think that this would probably true for most people. I mean, if I can be in control of my credit, my debt, my savings, and my investing, then I can also be in control of my career, my education, and my long term (non-financial) plans. And I don't have to be afraid of looking at my future. Because even though I don't have everything in place, I have a plan for how to get everything there. This sounds really motivational-speaker-y, but I don't care. I know I'm not really in control in a lot of areas in my life (or I'd be paying myself more), but I'm planning for emergencies and contingencies, so I feel like I can be ready for things. 

Third. The "tough choices" I'm having to make because of my income really aren't all that tough now that I have clear long term goal. And it's a goal that I made and formulated, so I feel really good about reaching the milestones I've set up. I feel worse now about not putting money into my savings than I do about not buying a new pair of shoes. Because me in the present can keep wearing the 25 pairs that are in my closet, but future me is really going to appreciate the contribution to her standard of living. 

did you read this far? wow. I figured all that rah-rah would have made you throw up by now.