I'm Broke

This phrase can mean so many different things.  I will admit to managing my money wrong occasionally and saying I’m broke shortly before payday.  I don’t blame anyone but myself though and don’t want to be bailed out by others.  Honestly, I am never truly broke.  We have some money saved and I budget well enough to have the money for everything we need.  Sometimes I may overspend on wants and realize that I need to skip going out to eat for a bit or maybe not buy something that we don’t need.  I constantly see others complaining how they are broke and need to sell something from their home in order to buy groceries or have gas until pay day.  This baffles me most times, because these are often the same people showing off all of their purchases every couple of days or asking which one should I buy.  They seem to always be at the store purchasing more things they can’t possibly need.  It seems most have never learned the difference between wants and needs.  I need a home, food, and some clothes on our backs.  I don’t need a nice fancy car, name brand clothes, tons of toys, 20 pairs of shoes, multiple purses, or even that Starbucks or dinner out.  I am not saying there is anything wrong with those things but if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.  When I sit down at least twice a month and figure the budget, the first thing I do is make sure every bill is paid first, and then I deduct my grocery and gas budget.  If I am lucky enough to have money left, I can go out and buy stuff that I want or more likely what my kids want.  Most young couples seem to buy what they want and get to the bills and cry they don’t make enough money. Really?  Base pay for a brand new E1 is $17,611, add to that BAS, BAH, and clothing allowance and you are getting a annual amount of at least $33,041.80 and that is if you spend the first year out of basic as an E1.  That would take a pretty lousy soldier to not make at least E2 or more likely E3.  I am not saying $33k is a lot of money to make in a year but it is a manageable amount for a small family.  There shouldn't be people constantly in a panic trying to figure out how to make ends meet.  The thing people need to remember is that bills come first and it is important to make a budget, stick to it, and even include savings (even$1 a day adds up).  After you figure a budget, you can see how much money you have left to spend on extras but please avoid credit cards and mounting debt.  If deployed, take advantage of using the extra pay to save towards purchasing a card or if you have racked up debt, get it paid off.  There is rarely a reason for someone to be truly broke.  Things do happen and unforeseen circumstance change things but most of what I see is people who have never learned how to manage money.  I am attaching a video http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=53292083612 and remember you can get financial planning and budget help through ACS if you need to learn how to make a budget.

Seen and Not Heard

I am a pretty laid back parent.  I give my kids a lot of freedom and allow them to have fun most of the time.  They also learn through their mistakes.  I am the type of parent that lets them fall or fail at things and then helps them to take their experience and learn from it.  I am fine with hearing and seeing kids most of the time and understand that they will make noise and that they are present and should be included most of the time.  There are however a few times that they should either not attend or be seen and not heard.  I had the joy of going to a meeting recently and childcare was not provided.  This means that many people brought their children along.  I can handle a toddler being chased after and a baby crying but cannot understand older children running around the room and screaming during a meeting.  Their parents seemed to be oblivious to the bad behavior and didn’t seem interested in teaching their children to behave while adults were talking.  I am pretty sure, when I was a child, my mother would have removed me from the room and probably beaten my ass for that behavior.  My 2 children both under the age of 5 were able to sit and for the most part were quiet and played with a toy.  I always make sure if they are coming along for a boring adult thing to have some form of quiet entertainment.  They would not be found during a 1 hour meeting running around and being so disruptive that others could not hear the speaker.  If your children are bored and disruptive, remove them from the room and maybe try teaching them some respectful behavior.  If you aren’t willing to do that, please in the future get a sitter.  It shows disrespect on the part of a parent to allow this behavior and you are doing your children a disservice by not teaching them how to act in certain situations.