flourishing in finances | dec 16-22

merry making & minor shifts

As a teacher, there are many days when I hear my students complain about geometry-this or chemistry-that, and I sigh in relief that I never have to study those courses again.

Then I think of all the things I would rather have studied, and finances make the top of that list.

In the 2006-2009 range, I heard vague things about a recession, made $10 an hour working in my high school’s auditorium, and figured out that FAFSA was some form that would give me a little, but not a lot, of money for school.

I knew a 33 on the ACT equated the right level of scholarship I’d need to attend Baylor, and loans, of course, would need to be repaid, but the due date was four years away. There was no need to think about it until then.

L. O. L.

My parents graciously helped with my college costs (and my loans were kept low thanks to that and scholarships), and I had little awareness or worry about those necessities being paid.

Finances were still pretty taboo to speak about, so my friends and I didn’t talk about it and there wasn’t much discussion about it, even when I was moving across the country post-grad.

Cost of living differences from Waco to Seattle? Pshh. What was that?

Baylor loans being deferred when attending grad school? Great!

Budgeting? For the nerds and the birds.

Until now. It’s week three of this little series and it’s truly made me more aware of my habits and spending tendencies (particularly the early morning scroll/online shopping trap). Improvements are slow going, but starting, and I’ll take the wins I can get.