Want to know what is in serious need of a bail-out? No, I'm not talking about our financial system or the housing market.
I'm talking about personal responsibility
A friend of mine shared this article . It really had me thinking. I didn't grow up with a lot. My mom was a SAHM like I am (until she graduated nursing school at 40), and my Dad always had a couple careers going on at one time (NYC Fireman and an Army Reservist, to mention just a couple). My parents gave us what we needed, but not a whole lot of what we wanted unless it was the beginning of a school year, our birthday or Christmas. My mother would rarely buy clothes for herself (she still has the same mentality)... she made sure we were better clothed. I can understand that to some extent. I know that I will do for my children more than myself, but I also know that I am way more spoiled than my own mother was. If I think I or the kids need something I usually get it (if it is on sale and of reasonable cost). I am rather conservative with our money and I am not attached to "labels" or certain stores. I rarely shop anywhere but Target, Wal-Mart or Costco. If I go to Old Navy that is a treat. However, my family does not go without much (within reason). I know that this mindset has got to change.
It seems that our society feels like we "deserve" things ... new cars, new clothes for every season, big houses, fancy memberships, etc. It is so easy to get sucked into that way of thinking. A little while back I was reading about Dave Ramsey's method and listening to his very informative podcasts. I have made too many excuses not to try it, but maybe, just maybe, he has the right answer to handling the money issues that we (and many other families) are dealing with. Sounds like Mike and I need to have a "talk".
I am so sick and tired my family being surrounded by this "I want it and I want it now" mentality. What happened to working hard and saving up for things. Believe me, I am the first to be a fault when it comes to this way of thinking. It is hard not to feel this way when I am constantly surrounded by people that "seem" to have an unending income! I am trying to be more grounded in my thinking and not always wishing for what I don't have. Hey, my mom waited 25 years for her granite counter tops! Belief in the notion that people should be responsible for their own actions, or pay their own bills or keep their promises has plummeted and it is a sad statement in regards to our own morals and ethics!
On a side note, I am anxiously awaiting tonight's debate between vice-presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. I feel like a kid who knows there's a really exciting surprise waiting for her at the end of the day, and the expectation of just how big it will be is almost too much to bear!
