The Money Lullaby

I’m one of those people who reads diet and exercise articles feeling I’ve accomplished something equating to movement and healthy eating. This inherent flaw in my rational thinking made me think of the insane influx of money saving/freakout/recession/bank run/coupon clipping articles out there and how many insolvent people must read them to feel better about themselves (or worse, who doesn’t love whipping themselves every once in awhile!). When I read these articles I am amazed at the common sense and basic financial knowledge that beats the reader over and over the head with. Obviously its having only one effect: feeding fear as per usual under media requirements.

This has to be true since curtailing our expenses or saving up for unexpected hardships (which always happens so I’ve never understood the unexpected expenses rationale in the first place) is an undue burden on our sensitive, over-accessorized, gadget-induced selves and we WILL NOT STOP spending.

Thank god for the tax rebate, huh? I for one used mine to cover expenses when my roommate unexpectedly moved out due to her losing a job and having to move back in with her parents. Then again, I had enough in savings to prepare for this unexpected incident in the first place. What’s wrong with me? Something must be. I still buy useless crap all of the time but the only debt I carry is for school and house. I am guilty of putting much more in my savings account then contributing much more than the large sum of $20 a month to my 401(K). I’m not perfect. I know its hard for people to believe.

So this puts me in the toddler stage of financial wisdom according to some and I’m pretty sure their chorus would go something like this: “How could you be so dumb to lose out on your employer’s matching? Many people do not even have this option! Whats wrong with you lady!” My rationale is that at the young age of 30 I want cash very very handy since I’m house poor. I also plan on putting more in but looking at what most 401(k) plans invest in makes me pause. I might have better luck with our manic stock market. I’m still researching it and plan on keeping my fanatically interested fans updated.

Listen my sweet ones, there is so much pressure to be perfect at everything ranging from home repair, child rearing, stock market analysis, picking the perfect job/shoes/hair/house, being ‘green’, being witty, picking the perfect spouse that we need to let up on ourselves before we crack. Just wanted to let you know that those who tout you financial advice are far from perfect. Admitting faults and continuing to learn are admirable qualities that I tell myself I have so I can sleep at night.

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