Crap on a stick! I just realize at 38 I’m grown up. I’ve gone from being carefree and silly all the time to mostly serious, thoughtful and (dare I say it?) almost responsible. Ugh. My evil twin, SINthia, calls it straight-up boring. Carefree rip anyway… She gets everything she wants. Which is where my current, recurrent issues are coming from. Just once I would like to throw a fit and get my way. Dave Ramsey says there is a grocery store kid inside everyone of us.
If I could feed that child within I would say this: I want new furniture. Waaahhh. Not the kind on sale, the expensive kind, with faux leather that’s soft and downy and recliners on each end and a whole room to match. *SINthia on the floor–thrashing about shrieking* I don’t want another piece-a hand-me-down, craigslist crap. Early garage sale is NOT a decorating style. They call it vintage cause it’s old…not she-she. Shabby sheek is just another way of saying ‘my husband won’t give me the freakin’ credit card or the keys to the damn-it emergency fund“.
(As my boys watch in wide-eyed wonder I would continue banging my head against the floor screaming…)
There’s a TV. I wanna TV. I ate all my peas, now give me my TV. I’m tired of that ten-year-old albatross in our living room. I’m sick to death of stomping across the living room to tell the kids for the fourth time to clean their rooms, messing up the TV because of a loose internal connection, then jumping up and down in front of it until the ding dong dang damn it thing stops buzzing and hissing like a giant cockroach…If I had a high def skinny TV I could do my workout DVDs better. Waaaah.
Sniff. Okay. Sniff. I’m done.
Please tell me this sounds familiar. You know what’s even worse? I’ve brainwashed Ben into buying all this Dave Ramsey stuff is a good idea. He now thinks saving money is sexy. He just asked the other day if had enough money to write a check for a new (angels singing) TV and furniture?
Yes.
Where is it?
In the emergency fund.
Oh, so we can’t touch it?
Not unless it’s a true emergency. (Car explodes, natural disaster strikes, someone dies, etc..) Or if we both agree…(Eve dangling the apple…)
Get behind me, Satan, is what he was thinking. Sounds like we need to make an envelope for TV and furniture, is what he said.
*Gah*
I wanted to holler, “Run! Run! As fast as you can, before you get sucked into being a responsible grown-up. Turning 21 was fun, the rest is overrated. Please, run. I’ll martyr myself. Take SINthia with you. Don’t look back, damn it run.”
But alas, the fox had already eaten the gingerbread man and in this story Adam didn’t eat the apple. I was left with the faint smell of bedtime, a hand-me-down fairy tale and a grown up for a soul mate. Shite!
With the child within– without, I went over to our money envelopes and with a sigh, wrote TV/Furniture on one and said to anyone who would listen, “Some days it sucks being a grown up.”
What does your child within want need. A new truck? iPad? A new gun? Banjo? A vacation? What’s your poison? Here’s your chance to whine, you best take it. Thanks for listening.
Simply,
Sis
Tags: dave ramsey, emergency funds, envelope system, evil twin, getting what you want, i want it all and i want it now, rants, saving for wants, saving money, Simple Money, SINthia, spoiled, throwing a fit
Girl…where do I START?!!
NEW TRUCK!!!! We both want one but can’t stand the thought of payments. So we started an automatic fund that removes it when he gets payed. Just like a car payment. Maybe next year we will be able to afford it!
Just a thought. I noticed this emergency fund is much easier to hang on to with two people involved. When I am itching to spend he is not and vice versa. Thank goodness or else I would have a new couch too. thinking about recovering mine..Heaven help me!
Everytime I see a Nissan Exterra passing me on the highway – the rebel within is dying for one. I look at our Versa and Mazda Protege knowing they ae fuel efficent and economical. I feel meh towards them.
I have whimscal dreams about my Exterra which involves throwing the hockey gear in the trunk effortlessly, stacking the skis on top with gusto, feeling safe driving on the road on those blistery snow days. It’s all of these things that make me want one.
But then reality kicks in, I look at the price, the cost of gas, and my heartbreaks. Oh! The joys of practicalities, emergency saving funds, Education Funds, and saving for retirement. It ain’t going to happen this year. But my inner child is waiting, quietly, patiently, you never know maybe I’ll win the lottery. A girl can dream. Right?
Sometimes it does suck being a grown up
I also wish I could go back to being impulsive. Now- like you say, I am impulsively make more envelopes, and more plans. Amazingly enough you do get what you want, it just takes time. Damn patience.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…….thats all I got!!! LOL I think my hubby is starting to think I have an envelope problem! Hello, My name is Connie and I use envelopes!!!!LOL
Mickelle~ Oh I know the list is long. Incredible to think isn’t it–most of us are blessed beyond belief.
Homstead~(See your’re gonna have another babe. What a blessing.) Oh the new truck bug. Nasty little buggar has bit many folks. Good for you for saving. Isn’t it great how couples can hold each other up. :0)
Victoria~That was great, beautifully written too. I’ll pray you win the lottery.
Erica~Good for you for using envelopes. And aren’t the days you go shopping for that new _______ whatever, just killer?! Sweeter than feeding that inner child if you ask me.
Connie~another user…it’s like a bad drug isn’t it? Envelopes I mean.
Glad you’re on board with a plan–so proud.
Whew! You gals made me feel a lot better. It’s always nice to know I’m not alone in my fit throwing.
Love
Sis
Ipad-Kindle-Flat Screen
Silver Bracelet-Emerald Ring
Vacation-Spa Day-Leather Purse
Boots like Sis!!!!!
I WANNNTTTT
I like Michelle’s answer.
I start out with #1: Laser Surgery for my eyes, and my honey’s…if mine turns out okay. He says I have to be the guinea pig.
#2: Tummy tuck for me. You’ve seen my post five kids, including twins and an endometrioma-ectomy. As you said it, my “gig line is off” and it’s getting worse:(
#3: Truth be told, if I really had the 4-5K it would take to do either one I’d think seriously about demo-ing our current deck, rebuilding and adding on so we could spend more time entertaining and eating outside on a nice big table. (I love to eat outside.)
THE HONEST TRUTH: If I had an extra 4-5K, I’d tuck it away safely, knowing that our oldest is starting HS this year and it will be a short 4 yrs before he’s off to KU (hopefully).
SO, what do I want? I want a future that’s affordable. I don’t want further big debt. I’ve replaced furniture and carpet, affordably and I’m content right now.
Well, until you start showing my larger homes where a few of the kids could have their own bedrooms and I could have a bathroom with a big tub….and I could have a larger kitchen with more storage…and…and…and…then we’ll revisit this conversation.
My point exactly. It never ends.
Love, Aunt Sis
WAAAA! I DO want a new banjo!!!! HONEST! I want a Huber Jim Mills edition NEW NEW NEW Huber with a hardshell case and I want it set up by Snuffy Smith!!!!! I’m having tuning issues with my beloved Stelling and I really would like to get a new one but I just can’t justified the 4 grand or more… okay, I don’t even HAVE 4 grand so it’s a moot point. I’m working on my plan, got most of my stuff paid off, even my moby, and my emergency fund was almost at a grand, but then the dogs got sick, so I’m back to building, at about $500 so far. (Thank goodness I had that though, it was the first time in my ADULT life that I didn’t need to go begging when it happened and that was a super good warm squishy feeling…. )
So I guess that means I need to get a NEW BANJO envelope.
Sigh. I did order a new set of tuners for the Stelling. The two that were giving me the worse trouble. $50 might solve the problem and make the waiting much more easier.
Sigh.
Thanks for letting me have this special moment! (hahaha)
A new bbq grill
BUT all the kids have SUMMER CAMPS that I am registering for left and right – OYYYYYYYYYY when did camp get so expensive? 195$ for 2 of them for church camp – 125 for another for football camp – another 40$ for bball camp ( the coach is REQUIRING THEM TO GO – UM WHASTTTT!) 108 for volleyball camp, yep, that bout took care of any extra money I might have had this summer – oh and lets not even MENTION what it is costing me to feed these 130 chickens for the next month or two until I can KILL THEM! LOL
I’m SICK of my old Compaq Presario laptop. The screen goes out and I have to wiggle it to make it come on, that battery’s held on with duct tape. It’s bulky. It’s heavy. It’s ugly. It’s black.
I have the money, yes I do, to buy a brand new, shiny white, lightweight Apple Macbook. Sometimes I go to the Apple website and just DROOL over that $849 refurb… I could buy it. I could buy it with that leftover college money I have squirreled away in my savings account, that I use for gas and food and clothes…
It qualifies as an educational expense…
And it’s so pretty…
But. BUT. My car. About the same condition as my computer. I can’t use my money. I have to buy car parts for my dad to fix my car. Of course, I would inherit my dad’s car, and we’d sell my car, but my car still needs fixing before it’s sold. And we need MY MONEY! Not only this, I’m leaving the country this summer. For Eastern Europe. I also need to conserve my money for this trip. But then…if I use my money, how am I gonna get my shiny new Mac?! I WANT MY MAC! GIMME!!!