I was born into a missionary family, so money wasn't a primary concern for my parents when on the mission field. By the time we moved to the States, my dad was already 30, and had no marketable skills other than the missionary training he'd had. I still remember my mom coming home from work late at night to relieve the babysitter who was watching over my 3 young siblings and me. Although we didn't have a lot of money growing up, we still had loads of fun.
Since that time, my dad has gone from telemarketing to insurance, where's he's worked the past 15 years. God has blessed him in his work, allowing him to work from home, and giving my family a comfortable income given my dad's relatively few years in his field.
Growing up in a family where money didn't grow on trees, so to speak, I've learned the importance of being frugal with money.
One of the biggest causes for divorce in America is money problems.[1] Although I've never known of any married couples that have divorced due to money problems (that I know of), I have seen some couple that were headed for engagement/marriage split up due to differing views on money management. A lot of people would likely see this as being a harmless issue. And it may start as such. But if one spouse is more frugal with money, and the other has no problem spending money like it's going out of style and/or going into debt, than can cause some real problems. Some of my best married friends have dealt with this issue over the course of their young marriage. One of them wasn't used to money being scarce during their childhood, and the other was. Over time, they've come to the middle a bit more on the issue (perhaps a bit closer to the frugal side).
Frugality has always played an important part of my life. Ever since working Pennypower when I was a young teen, I've always been fascinated with saving money and seeing my bank account grow. Of course, there's harm in being a miser and not being willing to enjoy life a little too. After several years in the workforce, I splurged and got a new (to me) sports car. I also went on more vacation trips. Over the 13' Christmas break, I was laid off from the job I'd had for 5 years. My earlier frugality played a large part in my ability to not start searching for a new job immediately. Because of that, I was able to make the decision to go back to school and pursue a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, which I'm currently doing. I'm also able to take a lot of credit hours every semester, as I haven't needed to work these past 18 months.
These are just a few of the reasons why being wise with money is important.
[1] https://www.institutedfa.com/Leading-Causes-Divorce/
Kristian - I think sometimes we assume our skills, no matter how domestic or spiritual, are not marketable. Even maintaining a home and homeschooling require many skills desired by employees. :) Is is wisdom you are exploring here or common sense and perseverance. A good work ethic like yours is hard to find these days. ~Ms. A.
ReplyDeleteMs. A - You make a good point. Many intangible skills can be attained by maintaining a home, especially with a bunch of kids like my parents have.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment!