I got my pay stub today, and noticed my net is higher. Turns out that everyone at the agency got a raise/cost of living adjustment scheduled during the last round of contract negotiations. I was a little excited. In September I get a significant raise again. And September is a three paycheck month coming up.
Well, I realized I’m in month five of the challenge. So all this extra money goes to savings and investing. Which is good. And maybe I’ll stick another five bucks in my entertainment budget next month.
I got a raise. Except I didn’t.
July 22nd, 2006 at 04:59 am
July 22nd, 2006 at 05:35 am 1153542918
July 22nd, 2006 at 02:12 pm 1153573922
Over the years that I've been handling my own money (I'm 47) I've noticed that income has little to do with how well or poorly people seem to manage financially. We've had wide swings of income over the years and managed to accomodate the fluctuations with very few differences in our lifestyle. Friends and family have asked how we did that, and I was at a loss to really explain. The truth is, our lifestyle was not chosen by our income (that is, spend all you make at all times) but by finding the highest level of comfort at the least expenditure that we were willing to accept. That's a pretty new concept to a lot of people. Your blog has finally given me someplace to direct folks who ask me how to begin to handle their money better. You put into very clear words the philosophy that I think has led to our security through many years of ups and downs financially.
Thank you for an entertaining, informative read!