Different Hats

Disclaimer: I'm constantly learning how to live life. I don't ever claim to have all the answers! This is what's worked for me, you are probably different. And that's OK!!

I often get asked how I fit college into my life. People wonder how I take care of my family and work and go to school and still take naps. I answer with the flippant answer "that's a good question, I don't know!"

But even though it's hard for me to give serious answers, I do have a few tricks of the school/ family trade.

1. PLAN. Everything. Don't leave anything to chance. I have a planner from iheart organizing that I live by. It has our menu, everything I need to do and what I am expecting to get done during the week. It's even possible that I schedule naps for myself but I'll never tell. I plan out the next week on Sunday nights so that I know exactly what's on tap. I also use my trusty sticky notes to write down everything that is due in the coming week, I number each assignment in order of priority. That goes on my desk and as I complete an assignment I cross it off. That gives me an idea of where I need to be at each day of the week, that way I don't have the weekend rush trying to get everything done.
2. ELIMINATE. During the school year I don't (usually) do projects besides those related to school. I love home fix up and sewing and all those other time consuming projects but they aren't a priority during the school year. I also don't let myself read much of anything besides textbooks and my scriptures. I'm too easily distracted so if I don't even start than I'm better off. 
3. DELEGATE. The kids take care of most of the housework. I don't empty the dishwasher or dust. I don't take the garbage out and I certainly don't clean the kid's rooms. Yes that does mean that jobs don't always get done the way that I would like but I'm teaching my kids to be productive members of this family. That means that they take ownership for their zones and I don't follow behind touching up. I do know that there are some messes that I can't deal with so I do the vacuuming, sweeping, mopping and cleaning the bathrooms. I have a super quick routine that takes maybe 20 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. I won't win awards for the cleanest house but that's not really my goal.
4. ASK FOR HELP. On Saturday mornings my better half takes the kids and they go do something (anything really, just as long as it's not at the house) while I catch up on homework or take a nap. That's a chance for me to recharge and get ready for the next week. I look forward to that time alone. 
5. SAY NO. It kills me to say no but I can't do it all. I try to focus on the things that only I can do. I am a wife and a mother first, student second. Everything else can and will be done by someone else. And if you have known me for any length of time you'll know how hard that is for me to say!
6. DIVINE INTERVENTION. I can't do any of what I do without help from God. I constantly pray to do what needs to be done. He always amazes me with His perfect answers.

And of course there are days when everything falls apart and it's all I can do to make it to bedtime. That's when I try to remember that this is the busy season of my life and I'm okay with that. Occasionally I feel like I'm running around with no purpose but when I look back at what I'm doing I'm sort of blown away. I don't say that to brag but because I think that we're all like that. We are all doing amazing things and we don't even realize the greatness. 

It's the little things

I had to write a short discussion post in response to an article in the Wall Street Journal. I feel so grownup with my WSJ subscription, never mind that it's only for this class and after the semester I'll cancel it and if I feel the urge to read it anytime after that I'll get it from the library, but for the next 2 months I'm a grownup!!

Wow, sorry about that, I get distracted sometimes. Like I was saying we were asked to pick 5 things from this article that resonated with our financial beliefs. Here are my takeaways. I also recommend that you read the article (you know, if you're a grownup and have a subscription), it has some good insights into financial behavior.

1. Keep it simple. History has shown that the most successful people are those that very simply diversify their investments. They don’t try to choose the most flashy and popular things, rather they look for things that have a proven track record. I invest my own portfolio in the same way with a simple mix of mutual funds. This is proving to be profitable.
2. Protect yourself from disaster. Soon after my husband and I were married we began purchasing term life insurance. We did not have any children at the time but we knew that if one of us were to go, it would leave the other with responsibilities that needed to be met. Since that time we have always carried insurance, gradually increasing the amount as we had more children and our other needs changed. Knowing that the other spouse would be able to carry on financially is a comforting feeling.
3. Make the most of what you have. A few years ago we were making very good money but somehow we were still late on payments and always scraping to get by. After a job loss and career change we are not quite back to where we were but we are always early to pay our bills, there is money in the bank for emergencies and we are making serious progress toward paying our debts. The difference is we are intentional with our money and we use it wisely. We know what’s important and it’s not stuff. The money that we have is to be used for the benefit of our family, not for momentary thrills.
4. Teach your children about money. Having 5 children means a lot of demands on my time. The list is always longer than the time I have and if I'm not careful I could spend all my time just dealing with the immediate needs. I need to be intentional about the way that we spend our time. I want my children to grow up to be successful, independent adults that I enjoy spending time with. A key to this is to teach them to be wise with their finances. We pay our children comission for work that they do around our home. They then divide this money into 3 categories; give, save and spend. They are learning that money comes from work and that there is great pride to be found in taking care of your own needs. That’s pretty amazing.
5. Share. This category of my financial plan is very personal and tied to my religious beliefs. I believe that God provides all that I have; health, money, peace, love, everything. In return He has asked that I give back a percentage of my increase. I do this because I believe in a loving God that blesses His children and only wants the best for them. I give because it’s a commandment but I receive so much more in return.

What's your favorite financial principle? Share in the comments, I'd love to know what works for you.