Wednesday, May 2, 2012

When Things Get Crazy...

Sorry it's been a couple days... end of the month at work (which, ironically, is actually the 1st week of the month) is crazy, and by the time I get home I just want to relax. But I really need to get back to blogging, so despite the craziness, I'm writing today!

And, I decided craziness is the perfect thing to write about...

Life is crazy. Unexpected things happen. Expected things happen. Both can be a little bit stressful and overwhelming. Especially when they relate to your finances.

So what happens when the craziness enters your financial world?

Number one, you need an emergency fund. If you don't have one now, try really hard to do it. I know, you might be thinking, I don't have a single extra cent! I understand, trust me, I do. But try... really try. Instead of getting fast food, sack that money away. Even just put aside $5 a week. Do what you can! I would try to put aside at least $500, more if you can handle it. Corey and I didn't put any extra money towards paying off our loans until we had $1000, but we still put $25 a month into the account. And, I'll be honest too-- our initial $1000 was from our tax return last year... then something (I don't remember what... it truly wasn't an emergency... oops!) came up, and we took some out. We never built it completely back up, but between all of our savings accounts we feel comfortable that we have enough to cover what is necessary at this time in our lives, plus we add the $25. Once our debt is paid down though, we want to build up an even larger emergency fund-- probably around 6 months of expenses. Those of you who have taken Dave Ramsey classes will recognize a lot of this, only notice that mine is a bit more casual. Ultimately, the emergency fund is your safety net. It'll make you feel better about your world and less overwhelmed by an craziness that comes your way!

Some other things? Talk to your significant other about any emergencies that could happen (the car breaks down, one of you lose your job, etc.) and what you might do. I'm not saying imagine insane worst case scenarios or to spend hours on end on this, but just some basic things. Granted, if you have a brand new car, you likely won't have the emergency of a car break down, so maybe you don't need to discuss this one. Maybe yours is an unexpected pregnancy or a medical emergency. And remember the post where I talked about the "nerd" and the "free spirit?" The free spirit will think this is stupid. The nerd will find this comforting. Remember to compromise! :)

Pray about it! Seriously. God might not answer your prayer the way you hoped, but He will hear it. And I promise you that if you pray about what's overwhelming you and making your life crazy, you'll feel better.

And that's it for now! I'm off to watch some TV, chill on the couch, and pray that the craziness calms down-- hopefully I'll be able to post again soon! :)

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