Stop Trying to Impress People- Rant

I find that the less I worry about what other people think, the happier I am. That isn't to say that  I give up on how I look, or dress. But I have stopping buying thing just so other people would be impress when they see it. I'm writing about this is because I'm a bit irk about a family member and his lack of money management. My paternal side of the family doesn't talk about money like my maternal side does. I wouldn't have known about this if I wasn't somewhat involved. I don't want to go into details of course, but I do want to discuss how a combination of bad money habits get him in to this position.

I must disclose, I don't know everything. This is more of a general rant. Said person started making  a little bit of money, and next thing you know, he's pulling up in a shinny Mercedes. Seriously? In that moment, I just knew, he bought this car to impress people. He's driving it so other people see him as a BOSS, a success. This car is probably on a payment plan that's too high for someone of his income. And how do I know that this person isn't managing his money well? Well, he's in a bind, and is having trouble making certain payments on time.

I'm not against having nice things IF you can afford it. Why do you want to impress people when they're not the one putting food on your table, the clothes on your back, or take care of you when you're sick? Why do other people impression of you matter so much when they're not helping you better yourself or career? Those who truly care about you don't care about your material possessions. If someone only wants to invite you to a party because you drive a fancy car or wear designer stuff, then they're not your true friends. In fact, they can be toxic to your bank account, because to be in their circle you continuously need to have the newest and the greatest.

This person would have been in a better position if he would choose an affordable $20k car  he can pay with cash over a $50k car that he must put on a payment plan.  I bet his one car cost as must as two of my cars combine.

This person has a family and the kids are of working age, it seems like the kids don't have any monetary responsibilities to the household.  I get it, being a parent you want to provide for your kids, but they need to learn about money  and contribute when they can. It serves the kids to know how much things cost and teach them to manage their income.

I honestly believe he doesn't understand the concept of emergency funds. I think once he sees money coming in, the stream of cash will never stop. I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time he's gotten himself in a bind.  You think after a time or two you learn that money doesn't grow on trees. We share the same background, came from a third world country with nothing. I only wish he knew how much he has and doesn't need to impress others by buying more. Happiness is found from within. Like Oprah says, be happy with what you have and you'll always have more.

Family Planner and More Goals for 2017

I'm adamant about getting our finances in order this year. I even bought a personal planner to plan my life out. Made a family planner to keep track of everything. Today, I'll focus on the family planner. This planner only contain a few page as I'm still trying to figure out what works for me. This is just simple 1/2 in binder I got for $2.59 at Target. I printed the dividers with the cardstock papers I already have. It's not super decorated as I am artistically challenged. 

One of the most important page I think is our GOALS for 2017 page. Looking at this page really helps to curb the urges to buy things. If something isn't helping me reach these goals it's not worth buying. This isn't complete but it's what I have so far. I included the long terms goals here to make sure I keep focus. Some of these goals seems pretty ambitious, but not unattainable. Even if I don't succeed in all my short terms goals, but if I keep working towards it, I'm still better off than I was yesterday.  This isn't all or nothing. If we're not able to buy a house this year. It's fine, it only gives us more time to save money. Not like because we didn't buy a house this year, we're going to squander all of our savings. To me, goals are a destination that keeps you moving forward.

Behind my goals page is this spending log. I'm writing down everything we spend on this month, and hopefully every month. It would be interesting to see where we spend our money.

Under the HOME category I have a few house hunting evaluations. I got this from

scatteredsquirrel.com. We have not seen any houses yet, hopefully soon. I'll be sure the bring this along with me.

 I also have this BABY section. There is nothing set up yet. But there are a few things we need to do before the baby's arrival. The baby shower planning will go here. We also need to create a list of things we need buy for example a co-sleeper or a bed side sleeper. It's still too soon to set up a hospital bag, but that list will go here as well.  With two kids, I'm sure this will get fill up fast.