What does managing your finances and cleaning out your daughter’s room have in common?
Please don’t judge to harshly… my 9 year old has collections of everything (including snails that she is keeping in a bug catcher – ewww). She collects fast food toys, pencils, art drawings, rocks, change, pooh bear & friends, stuffed animals, hidden candy, books, water bottles, etc… She hides alot of those things in small tin boxes, bags, and purses. I finally got a day off and decided to tackle her room. We go thru this about every 3 months.
When you wake up one day to declare that you are going to manage your finances, it’s like looking at a messy room.
You really have no idea what you owe and where your money goes. But you know that it falls into a black hole (or a big box like the picture above). 😉
There is just a muck of stuff. Where do your start???
- Well you start piddling thru the pile and find junk you can shred.
- You keep digging and find some sweet moments that were prize finds at the time (see candy wrappers below). You spent good hard earned money on that wanted find… at that time. Now its just another item going to charity or trash.
- You keep digging and sorting into piles of: need to pay, file away these records, shred, and trash (see trash pile below).
- Soon the clarity starts to come around. You take note of what you have and what needs to be dealt with. You begin to organize and prioritize those finances. You realize that even though it seems like an insurmountable task, YOU CAN DO IT! You can tackle and pay off that debt to acheive a great life.
- But, you also realize that there is so much more to life now that it’s clear. Now that you have cleared the junk, organized the important stuff to find it swiftly and have a solid plan to deal with it. You can now attend to those things that once only dreams were made of. Now you can make them reality.
What’s your dream reality you plan to live when the debt is paid down?
My daughter’s room?
Oh, I threw out a heap of trash! Compiled one bag of good outfitted clothes to give to charity, put one box of unused stuffed animals away for another play day (works great to recycle toys biyearly because then they feel they have something new), condensed the two boxes down to one in hopes of curbing her collection happy hobby.
And you know what? She won’t miss a thing I trashed, because I kept all the memorable items. How can I be for sure? Like I said… I do this about every 3 months and she has yet to tell me anything is missing. 😉
Finances have to be kept under control. We’ll have to do it for the remainder of our lives. But have a good system and it won’t bar you from tending to your other wonderful tasks like gardening, spending time with family, traveling and just playing.
U.S. or Not… Find your Independence & Freedom! Have a Happy 4th of July weekend!
If you liked this article you’ll probably take a likin’ to this one, too: If you give a Mouse a Cookie (my Edition)!
I’m glad to know my DD is like others! Her room was a disaster this week and she had to clean it before she left as the demolition will begin next week! She did the bulk of the cleaning but was in tears more than once over the STUFF in her room. She managed to fill a laundry basket of books to be donated, but still needs to decided what she is going to donate for clothing.
I get the message that if your home is a mess, chances your finances are too! I love the look of your new blog, and while I was shopping today I saw a giant Tiki and thought of your blog! Happy 4th of July.
Whoosh! Glad to know there are others like my DD. lol. Well, my daughter wasn’t home when I cleaned her room. And her reaction when she got home? “oh cool, I wanted my room this way!” (cuz I move the book case around). She said she really loves it. And OMG, she is using stuff she hasn’t used for a long time. Like that really expensive Ipod. haha!
We are about to repaint DD’s room. She’s thinkin’ baby blue and brown.
I hope your DD will sort this all out. I’ve been fortunate with my DD that we can decide on a common denominator.
Have a great weekend! And thanks for thinkin’ of the blog. If you think I can improve in any way… Please let me know!
Ever since I hired a cleaning lady (every two weeks) I tell the kids they have to get their rooms “Rosa Ready”. (her name) They roll their eyes, but they know what this means. The clutter must be gone so she can clean. This is true luxury, one that I won’t give up easily. I like having the house completely clean every two weeks!
On the financial front, ever since I got a notebook to keep receipts and put down expenditures, I have a much better handle on my finances. Although it was hard, I liked the No Spend period…there was a lot less to track!
Have a wonderful 4th!
This one made me laugh out loud…thank you! I no longer have my boys’ rooms to clean, but I got your point immediately! Happy 4th!
Happy 4th tomorrow!
I like the new site!
@ Sharon: I like that… hire a cleaning lady like Rosa. 🙂
Notebooks are good. I like that they keep a person on track. The No Spend period… I have to figure out how not to Rebound because then it defeats the purpose.
@ April: LOL. A good laugh is always good therapy. Oh my sons room… boys are stinky. haha. But, my daughter tops him in clutter. I hope you had a good 4th, too!
@ Over the Cubicle Wall: Hope you had a good 4th. Glad to hear good things!