As a boardgames enthusiast, I enjoy min/maxing, developing optimal strategies, and playing to win. I think personal finance tickles the same part of my brain as boardgames do. Managing finite resources to accomplish goals, leveling up my skill tree, looking up obscure errata to make sure that I'm "playing the game" correctly.
I grew up without a great role model for handling money. Mom did the best she could for us, to be sure, but there was nothing in the piggy bank at the end of each month. For years, Mom drove an old red beater hatchback that she picked up for $180. It burned oil, the vinyl was peeling off the seats, and it broke down occasionally during the cold Montana winters. My family qualified for free lunch at school, which guaranteed at least one solid meal each day during the week. We did not go hungry, but occasionally Mom did, making sure that we were fed. Rice was a staple at our dinner table. Mom also got taken for a ride by a con-artist boyfriend. Over the years, she had thousands of dollars stolen through deceptive schemes, forgery, etc. All that to say that when it came to handling money, there wasn't much to handle.
Through Mom's deep sacrifice, scholarships, grants, and loans, I graduated from college, moved to South Carolina, and shortly thereafter married Julie, my college sweetheart. Life was full of potential. I had a bachelor's degree in math; my wife was a double major (Spanish and secondary education). I had a great little gig at a local photography studio, learning how to use Photoshop to remove everyone's wrinkles and brighten their eyes. It wasn't mind-blowing money, but it paid much more than the dishwashing work study program at school, and at the end of each month there was a little spending money. Not a bad gig. Upon return from our honeymoon, I was laid off. We had less than $400 to our name and we were both unemployed. Financially, things looked pretty bleak.
We got through those first few months by going to the food closet, applying for every job we were barely qualified for, and with some generous help from Julie's grandmother (that was a ding to my pride for sure). Just before I finally landed another job, I remember that our rent and food situation was balanced on a knife-edge. The Eagles song "Take it Easy" came on the radio, and Glenn Frey sang to us. "We may lose, and we may win, but we will never be here again." Our life was going to get better, or worse, but it couldn't stay the same. The situation felt familiar.
I finally got a job waiting tables at lunchtime in a nearby hotel (spoiler alert: there's not much money in that) and took a second job tutoring math in the afternoons at Sylvan. Julie got on as a substitute teacher for the school district. For the first time in my life, there was positive cashflow. Neither one of us had ever seriously dealt with money before; we had no idea how to handle things. Thankfully, Julie is a planner. Her new plan: learn how to handle money.
We picked up a couple of books to help us navigate this new season of life wherein there was enough money to cover all of our expenses if we used it wisely. Howard Dayton's Your Money Map and The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke by Suze Orman. These books don't agree on many things, but they do have this in common: control your money. You shouldn't let your money wander around and spend itself. This was new to me, since there was never any money left to spend anyway. So together, my wife and I sat down and put our monthly income, monthly expenses, and account balances into Excel. And that is where our money journey begins.
So, here are my biases:
1. I grew up without much extra money. I was envious of wealthy people and thought they were selfish.
2. Math, optimization, graphs, and spreadsheets are fun.
3. I have a great spouse who pushes for open communication and sets goals.
4. I'm writing this blog to help others learn how to control their money. In "real life" I am a teacher, so helping people learn is kind of in my blood at this point.
5. We are not "self-made." We are fortunate and #blessed.
Feel free to leave me a comment, question, or encouragement. =)
