I've spent many years trying not to be a slave to money. I feel that I am a very unmaterialistic person and pride myself in being thrifty and not overspending.
Right now being in school and only having one income makes money very tight and hard to come by. My New Year's Resolution last year was to not freak out so much about bills. I was letting it take over my life because I did not want to be late on a bill for fear of getting thrown into some debtor's prison in Uzbekastan. I've since learned to breathe first and pay bills second. Of course I don't shirk my duties, but if the gas bill is two days late, I don't go postal about it.
Unfortunately, I believe I'm cursed with Murphy's Law. Everything bad always seems to happen and when it comes to money, that's definitely true! It seems like just when we might be establishing a cushion, something breaks down, wears out or gives up. (Washing machines, water heaters, vehicles.) And now is no exception. Holidays are always stressful for most people and especially for financial reasons. My kids both have birthdays around Christmas, so that's 4 rounds of presents. Then, there's the gifts for everyone else, the traveling and so forth and so forth.
So of course it was no surprise to me that when my not old car would not start this morning that the problem would be I needed a new battery. Seventy bucks I could would much prefer to spend elsewhere!
But, no matter how down in the dumps I am about money, I know there's better times ahead once I graduate and get a job teaching. HARP refinance rates are low right now, maybe I can save money with a refinance. And no matter how poor I may be at the time, I know there are people worse off than me, which is why I always donate whenever there's someone outside Hy-Vee or WalMart with a bucket/boot/jar. I also think it gives me good karma.
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