Money, Money, Money... Money

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I came across this article on yahoo and wish that it was something my parents had done with me. The funny thing is it's been a topic on my mind lately; I even already have thought out what I am going to do when we start having kids. With each deposit we (and when I say we, I mean Justin) write and send in for something relating to the wedding, I feel a little bad. I am truly blessed to have Justin in my life, in more ways than one. But he is most definitely the one "bringing home the bacon." My salary, if you can call it that, nowhere near compares to his. And as we continue to plan things for our wedding and honeymoon, I wish I could contribute more than what I am/can.

Growing up, we werent poor or rich. We lived in nice houses and had everything we wanted or asked for. My parents & grandparents made sure we were taken care of. The older I got, I took on the usual pre-teen and teenage "jobs." I babysat for family friends & neighbors, I helped my dad at his second/night job and did odds and ends around the house for a few extra dollars. But I was never taught the "value" of a dollar. I wanted this and I wanted that... I wanted to be spoiled. My dad tried to instill in me the rule of thumb: if you want something, you need to work for it. When I turned 16, I got my first real job, but I blew through my paychecks and didnt even think about putting anything into savings. My mom was the one who took me to open up a savings account and I started putting money into it. Then I had a little "accident" and needed pretty much everything I had saved to cover it. And my savings account sat empty and closed because it had no money in it. I never opened another one until last year. Something I definitely wish I hadnt put off.

Anyways... to make a super long story short, I think about all the money I could have saved up and I just want to kick myself for not being smarter with my money. Luckily, Justin and past experiences have taught me a lot about saving and spending. I've become pretty stingy with my money, but sometimes it still burns a hole in my pocket. There are many programs online now that help you keep track of what you are spending your money on each month and what you can do to change that. And almost every week, there's a segment on the Today Show discussing ways to increase your savings. The #1 way is to pay yourself first, after you have figured out your monthly expenses because the worst thing to do is pay yourself, but not be able to afford your bills.

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So the moral of this story... if you dont already have one, open a savings account and pay yourself a portion each month. Even if its a small amount -- thats $$ you didnt have saved before.