If women didn’t exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning.  ~Aristotle Onassis

Ouch!  I’m going to try and take this as a compliment, but I’m not sure if it was one.

Am I the only one that cringes when people talk about a budget and money?  I know what a budget is and I know we all need one, but then I start thinking about all the money I want to spend outside of my budget and I think,  “Am I the only one that feels this way?”  Money is not something that everyone likes to talk about, but it does need to be discussed.

How are we going to make money? How will we spend our money? How will we save money?  What will we do with our play money?  Do we even have play money?  What is play money again?  These are all the beginning questions each individual and each couple needs to ask and answer.

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.  ~Frank Hubbard

I ought to try this some time.

We all have our own set of feelings about money and issues with money.  I am not in any position to tell you what to do with your money or how to do it; except that I do know that money is important in many aspects of life if not all aspects.  It’s just not everything. Finding that balance is essential for happiness and unique to every person and family.  Knowing that at the end of the day your needs are met allows you to find joy in life, see the bigger picture and reflect on deeper things.  But if financial struggles are overshadowing all aspects of your life then there is often no room for joy only time spent searching for hope.

The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings and not his cash.  ~Author Unknown

Amen!

To say that money really isn’t important would be a lie, because it is important to be able to: feed the mouths you are responsible for, provide shelter and pay for medical expenses.  It is our responsibility to do all that we can to first be self reliant.  Unfortunately, to rely on others to pay for our needs or to go into debt to pay for our needs only puts us in bondage.

Still, sometimes after all of our exhausting efforts we need help and are left to depend on others. This is OK too.  Sometimes this means making huge sacrifices and living on very little until we are able to finish school or training in order to obtain a job that will provide a comfortable living for ourselves and our family.  And sometimes it just means waiting, until there is a job.

Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost a part of your life.  ~Michael Leboeuf

In the mean time, yes, work hard, but understand that having a budget and talking about ways to have your money work for you does help.  Take one day at a time, count your blessings and love those around you freely!

It’s really all you can do.

No matter how hard you hug your money, it never hugs back.  ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.