I never really thought of myself as someone who is disciplined in any way whatsoever. Over the past couple of years, I have had to be very careful with my money in order to ensure that my bills get paid (mostly) on time. Today, I realized that the way in which I have made that happen is by developing (gasp!) financial discipline.
How did I go from someone who was fiscally irresponsible to someone who is working to overcome the long term effects of that irresponsibility while contributing to the family finances in my own small way? Perhaps it comes from associating myself with someone (my husband) who has much better financial habits than I do. Perhaps it comes from wanting to set a good example for my children so that they do not end up in a mess of debt like I did. Maybe both of those things plus some others have contributed to this discipline that I have developed.
It could also be a product of having little room for error in how the money that I earn gets spent. Every time money comes in, I make a plan for how it will be used before I take the check to the bank to cash it. You see, I know myself – cash in the hand tends to evaporate quickly. I have found that having a plan in place before taking the check to the bank helps me to avoid spending money unwisely.
However it happened, I am glad that somewhere along the way I have been able to develop a more disciplined approach to my finances. It is my hope that by remaining disciplined about how I use my money, I will set a good example for my children so that they can grow into fiscally responsible adults.
Photo by imelenchon on morguefile.com.