Happy with less

"Someone else is happy with less than you have." 

(I found this on Pintrest and though it was applicable.)

This weeks lesson is one I have been pondering on and off for a while.  I think the part that stood out to me had to do with attitude, seeing the eternal, and the positive side of everything. (Loved the bucket/well story - such insightful perspective).  I have a rather unique situation in my family. While most women (at least, I feel this is the case) are the masters of the budget and track all the ins and outs of financial matters, I am not.  I am a bit sheepish to say - my husband does all of it. Every. Last. Bit.   I have my moments of being so glad he does it, but on the flip side, I'm a little unaware of what happens on that end. Mind you, this wasn't how I thought my married life would be. My husband and I were both raised in homes where our moms took care of it. 

Background: I have worked since my Junior year of high school. I worked through college, paid for my mission and college, etc. When I left home, I was pretty much on my own, with occasional help here and there. While my parents taught me to pay tithing faithfully, we didn't talk much about savings, so I wasn't much of a saver. I knew I had money in the bank and would spend it as needed. I would periodically check to make sure I had enough for rent, etc.  If I needed to pinch pennies, I did.  BUT I wasn't awesome at budgeting or sticking to anything.  Enter Cody.  Bless his soul for LOVING to budget and save and knowing the ins and outs of doing that. It is a game to him - one he is great at. He has excel charts with calculations and awesome graphs. He has goals and plans for how things will play out, and has taught me to be more aware. His mom is quite the financial guru, as they had 5 kids, lived in California (hello - expensive), and didn't make much money. My parents had similar struggles, though I wouldn't say they were experts at managing finances.

That may be the reason I periodically have minor panic attacks when I think we are in financially "cutting it close". Cody is quick to smooth it out and explain how things are going. The extent of my knowledge in matters financial is slim.  I know our monthly budget and that we keep digging further and further in debt the longer we're in grad school. (It's going to pay off in the end, right?!) 

I admire those who have been through tough times (I may have been through them, but I was oblivious because I just pretend it doesn't exist).  Doing hard things makes us stronger and wiser. Trusting the Lord with our financial matters, counseling with him to know what would be best for the future of our family is key. I know he cares and wants us to be happy - no matter how much money is in the account. 

So my goals this week are:
- To schedule regular meetings with Cody so that I am more aware of how things are coming with our budgets, savings, planning, etc. 
- Work to overcome my fear of financial matters (I make myself sick with worry if I think there is something wrong).
- Use what we have more wisely - I find myself throwing groceries away that I SHOULD HAVE USED! All because I didn't plan more effectively.