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Day 158 of 365
“The Family Dollar”
After having children, we realized that many of the things we hoped for or wanted began to change. The one truth I embraced was that now we have other people who are dependent on us, we must put aside a lot of things for the better of our family. What things do you ask?
For instance, buying new cars that drained the budget on a monthly basis. Honey decided after we bought our first car many years ago that we would never do that again. We have consistently bought older vehicles that provided us with shorter car payment periods. Then we discovered the joy of paying cash for our vehicles. That was a concept that had been lost since my mother’s generation. This has become the mantra of money gurus since the recession. This one really works. Pay cash.
There are so many important things we must do as parents. Serve the Lord, give our children the gift of knowing Christ, love them, feed them, clothe them, keep them out of harms way, surround them with people that care for them, inform them of the dangers in the world and shield them from unwanted advances from others and allow them to grow up at our pace and not the world’s stride. All of these things have taken some sort of sacrifice.
Groceries come before video games. School work precedes play time. Late nights come with sick children. No vacation will be a result of more pressing financial issues. The decisions we make will impact our children and the standard of living for the family. The family dollar is important. The more we make that dollar work the better outcome we will have.
Learn to live within your means. This is a concept I must get more acquainted with for our family. It is a difficult journey at times. The years have taught me many things I can live with less of or even without. Be a better parent. Teach your children to respect time and the power of a dollar.
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