Apprehension and disappointment are here with irritation. They will pass.
I do not feel I do enough to save money. Some little trip-up or self-sabotaging trick will happen. My resolve is weak. I have also just seen a consciousness-raising film and then nearly had a traffic accident by some bucko pulling a Rockford in front of me at a T-section while I was making a left turn in dark, wet conditions.
Do you count your blessings? Whuggle your life and health insurances? Look at zillow.com for an estimate on your house? Be thankful for your emergency fund? Make a list of frugal things to do and use one tip daily? Make some sort of thermometer type chart and put it on the fridge?
I also feel poor. Sometimes I feel my family is conspiring against me by wasting energy, or by throwing things on the floor or leaving them on the kitchen counter or being derelict about chores so I do them and waste time I'd have otherwise spent putting things on eBay or putting other frugal ideas into practice.
It also doesn't help that $6 out of every $10 that you and I earn in America will go to pay off a loan in China or Japan or South Korea or the rest of Asia. That's the kind of mortgage nobody can afford, including you, me, the U.S. government and our kids.
It’s money that’s coming out of our pockets, and not just taxes… but also from higher gas prices, food bills, even college tuition. And be assured, Uncle Sam has no intention of paying us back.
What I need is some support and guidance on how to not let the little things snowball or get me down. For me it's especially unnerving because my spouse is "monkey see monkey do." "Well you spent $$$ on a nightie so I can spend on my hobby." "You spent $$$$ on a scooter so I can spend on one too." Well, with the exception of saving energy or picking up after oneself, that is.
He wants a week for vacation: I want a week to declutter and put things up for sale and build a vegetable garden.
Maybe the problem here is that I came from a visibly poor and uneducated family, and he came from an invisibly poor and well-educated family. Or maybe I've lived so long without disposable income, while in his landscape, disposable income makes the world go round.
I am frustrated. Someone give me a there-there please.
what do you do when you feel poor?
June 9th, 2006 at 08:03 pm
June 9th, 2006 at 08:20 pm 1149884429
June 9th, 2006 at 08:21 pm 1149884504
June 9th, 2006 at 11:25 pm 1149895557
June 10th, 2006 at 01:14 am 1149902050
I don't think I've ever felt poor......I have the ability to make money if I want or need it, so I just get busy!
June 10th, 2006 at 01:27 am 1149902826
June 10th, 2006 at 02:33 am 1149906798
And, contrary1, I might not yet be able to volunteer for someone who has nothing, but I did take in a homeless, disabled person for a few months. She gave me $10/week, but she has some things, like a bank account, and access to food stamps. She did reassure me I was a good person, and she told me over dinner last night that she and I mutually help each other to be authentic. So authentic we've adopted each other as sisters, and her mother has adopted me too, which is wonderful, because I don't have a mother. Earning my pal's friendship has been rewarding, but not monetarily.
CarolinaBound, your dog sounds like it has sense. I will play with my kid and my cats tonight while my husband is off to the movies tonight. I might even bake things. Two things I've wanted to do with local women: spend a day a week or month batch-cooking, and bulk shop at a warehouse where I have a membership.
Ima saver and eisor, thanks for your attention and reflections!
Now that I reflect on things, maybe "wasteful" and "profligate" is closer to what I feel than "poor." Maybe if I printed up some goals and followed them I would feel more empowered, and "poor" would be a temporary state. But, when people are talking about shorting the market, and I have seventeen cents in my margin account, well, yes, I feel poor.
Maybe it's enough to be doing the best we can. I'm always second-guessing myself. What else can I do? How much is enough?
Does anyone else think about these things?
June 10th, 2006 at 11:18 am 1149938339
Thanks for listening.
June 14th, 2006 at 06:46 am 1150267616
I've felt that "poor" feeling a lot. Its actually an out-of-control feeling. You are poor in spirit and control. As you get control of your finances, those feelings should pass a bit. God helps with gaining control, so does family, so does work. With me its routine. Find the actions that help you gain control of your emotions and that will help.