Are there days when you want to throw your financial plan out the window? You follow all of the money saving tips and ideas like saving up and paying cash instead of going into debt but your finances still frustrate you? Well, my friend, you’re not alone and it is my hope to encourage you in your trek to financial freedom.
I love Dave Ramsey’s saying, “Live like no one else so that later you can live like no one else.” If I’ve heard it one time, I’ve heard it a thousand times!
And while I’ve been pounding this mantra into my own head for as long as I can remember, there are still days when I don’t want to live like no one else.
Like many of you, I have projects around the house that I’d love to get done. There are luxuries that I’d love to buy. There are days when I’d love to walk into the grocery store and not have to think about how much things cost, fill my buggy with whatever my heart desires and not think twice about it. Can anyone else relate or is it just me?
Some days it feels like Trent and I have been working on our goals forever. They seem so far out of reach and it feels like we’re never going to get there.
And so, I throw myself a pity party.
Now, I know you’ve thrown yourself a pity party before. Maybe it wasn’t a financial pity party, but I’m sure you’ve thrown yourself some type of pity party!
I think it’s totally normal to occasionally throw yourself a pity party. We’re not going to walk through life living on top of the world. We’re going to have rough days. The important thing to remember is what we choose to do after the pity party. You see, if we throw ourselves a pity party and then go out and spend money that we don’t have, we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot. But, if we throw ourselves a pity party and then pull up our big girl panties and continue the task that we started, we’re much better for it and we’ll eventually reap the rewards of our hard work!
Source: 401(K) 2013 CC
When I have those days I can’t help but think back and remember how far God’s brought me!
There was a time when I didn’t know how I was going to pay the bills, and now I’m getting upset because I feel stuck on reaching my goal (that’s a want and not a need). There was a time when I went grocery shopping and couldn’t get everything in my cart or on my list because I didn’t have the money that week, and now I’m getting upset because I can’t buy anything I want at the grocery store. How selfish of me! How completely selfish of me!
God was faithful to provide! He’s always been faithful, and He’ll continue to be faithful! (And that’s not just with our finances.)
The days of not wanting to continue with the hard work that we started in our finances are going to come, but it’s how we handle them that affect us in the long-run.
The next time you throw yourself a pity party (and I’m talking to myself here too), remember where you’ve come from, remember the hard financial times you’ve walked through, and remember how faithful God is!
I’m not going to ask if you’ve thrown yourself a pity party, but I will ask what financial goal you’re working towards!
Well said, Tshanina.
Thanks! I appreciate your encouragement!
YES! We’re HUGE into DR at our house and we’re also on Baby Step 3 – SO CLOSE! but there’s no way we’re going at the rate I’d like. Even once we get to Baby Step 4, we have no idea how we’ll manage 15%/month of gross income. My husband is the breadwinner and we have three small children and every month is Pinch and Cinch month at our house. But you’re right – you’re SOOO right. We used to have debt – a lot of it. We had credit cards. We were scared to even look at our finances and we spent blindly, convincing ourselves that we were on top of it all. Praise God for progress and Baby Steps. God will provide and He already has in abundance!
Hi Katie! How exciting that you’re almost finished with baby step 3 – what a huge accomplishment!
When we set our goal to pay of our house, I didn’t know how we’d make it, but we did, and ahead of schedule! So, I’m confident that God will provide for your retirement!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
Very thoughtful insight. Yes, God is faithful and was always faithful. My family and I splurged a lot the past 5 years and am now beginning to reap what we sowed. However, I do not really look at it as a struggle because I realize that God is in control and he has put these limits on my spending to teach me a lesson: to budget and be wise in my choices of spending. As I am only in the beginning stages of this lesson, I know I will too, reap the benefits of this lesson God is teaching me.
Aloha,
Julie-
Hi Julie! Don’t feel like you’re alone – we’ve all had to learn the hard way. (You can read more about one of my lessons here – http://thriftytstreasures.com/2013/10/can-afford-payment-buy/).
You’re right! God is in control, and I’m so thankful for that!
Thanks for stopping by!
I want to have a financial pity party myself! We went from no debt last summer so I could quit my job to almost $12,000 in debt now. That includes doctor bills and credit cards. Christmas is coming, we have nothing in savings, and I am mad at myself for letting it get this bad (my husband attributed to the debt as well, and he’s worried too, but he keeps his head in the sand more than I do). And we’ve taken Financial Peace at church before, so Dave Ramsey’s words ring in my head almost daily. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :) I just found your blog from this post on pinterest. Looking forward to navigating through your other posts, etc.
Hi Jamie! First of all, I’m so sorry that you are frustrated.
I would encourage you not to beat yourself up. You’re not alone because we’ve all made financial decisions that we regret. The key is to just start! Commit today to start getting yourself out of debt. (If you’re not already doing it, create a written budget and stick with it. Maybe you need to have a crafty Christmas and give homemade gifts to friends and family. Is there something you can do from home to create additional income for your family?)
While I don’t know your husband, it’s quite possible that he sticks his head in the sand because he’s stressed about your debt. As the financial breadwinner for your family, it’s likely a strain on him. That being said, I definitely think you need to talk with him about your debt so that you can make a plan together and be on the same page! (It may be a difficult conversation, but it’s definitely one you need to have!)
You can do this, and I’m here if you need any help or encouragement!
Thank you for your reply Tshanina :) I think I need to revamp our written budget, talk with each other about it more, and push the debt snowball down this great big hill a little faster :)
While you have your big goal, set small goals for yourself so that the task won’t seem so huge! You can do this Jaime! I’d love to cheer you on in this process, so keep me posted!
Thank you! You are so right! I need to look at how far I’ve come. While I’m still not out of the financial “dog house” God has blessed us abundantly and has always taken care of us.
Hi Katelyn! Sometimes we just need a reminder – or at least I do.
Good for you for working your way out of the “financial dog house.” Keep working at it and one day soon you’ll be where you’d like to be!
Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation.
It’s hard in our family right now with us having so much debt. Some days I feel like we’ll never get out from under it. But then I notice the balance we owe on some things falling and I hold onto my hope that one day we will get through it. But with a teenager a toddler and a baby on the way I know it will get a lot harder before it gets better. Really I just hope to make it to next month at this point. Around the holidays is always the hardest time of year for us.
Heather, you should be so proud of yourself for working on paying off your debt. (High five to you!) Most families turn a blind eye to it in hopes that it will go away.
Instead of looking at the big picture (your debt) all of the time, celebrate the little victories. That could be celebrating the balance on a bill dropping, paying off a bill, or even just making it through the month without adding to your debt! You can do this!
Thank you or this. I have thrown many a pity party! One verse that helps me is 2 Samuel 7:8 ” Who and I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that You have brought me this far?” Not only this far, but He wants to take me farther still! He is so amazing!
What a powerful verse (and reminder for us)! Thanks for sharing Jayne!
Timely advice for me. Certainly we all have these days. Kudos to you for remembering the way out! And thanks for taking the time to write and share this.
I’m glad to hear that this post resonated with you Tara! Thanks for stopping by!
I do this sometimes. Yuck. Right now we’re working our tails off to pay off my $18k in student loans. After that, the emergency fund.
I’m so glad that I’m not the only person that does this Kristin. High five to you for working on paying off your debt!
Thanks for stopping by!