Monday Night Money

Check-In: $583.55
This has been a pretty good week, money-wise. Things are looking up (as evidenced by having a positive bank balance for 2 weeks in a row now!). I didn't expect to have a huge balance here, since many of our big bills come during the last week of the month (both student loans, natural gas, and cell phone).
One really good thing I did this week (well, really good for me... probably common sense for some other people) was to actually look at my current balance and upcoming expenses and figure out the best way to pay my parents right now. Currently, I pay rent to my dad ($860 a month) and daycare to my mom ($600 a month- $300 on each of my paydays). I also used to pay my parents for my car payments (cars were in their name). At that time, there was no way that I could come up with all of that money at once, so I used to split it up- paying the same amount from each of my paychecks to him. [Sidenote: I'm now proud to say that A) all of those other vehicles are paid off, and B) I actually have a vehicle that is totally in my name and that I am paying for! And it even works!] So, when I figured up our budget, the best place to put the rent payment is towards the beginning of the month, since we get more bills due per week as the month goes on. But, as you all know, we were in no position to pay $860 for rent earlier this month. Luckily, we have some flexibility, since we're paying my dad. I told him that I was working on re-doing the budget and that I wanted to pay him the rent in one payment instead of two, but that I hadn't figured out quite when the best time would be (other than "when we have some money"). So on Saturday, he stopped by to pick up a check on the way to the bank. Instead of just writing out a check for all we owe him (like I used to do), I actually checked my current bank balance, pulled out my budget/calendar sheet, subtracted the upcoming scheduled payments, figured out what other money we would need to get through the week (gas in the car, food we'd need to buy, etc.), looked at what I owed my parents, and actually figured out the best way to do all of this! Perhaps, even bigger and better for me than doing all of that was actually talking to my parents about where I was financially, explaining that I am working really hard to make changes in this area, and presenting a workable plan for getting them their money. Again, this may not seem like much for some people- common sense, you may say- but this is a BIG thing for me to honestly talk with my parents about money. We never talked much about money when I was growing up. Paying bills was something they did after we went to bed and that's about all I knew. I never had any financial education or experience. What I needed was provided and what I wanted, I used babysitting money for. I think my parents showed me how to balance a checkbook before I went to college, opened up a checking account and sent me on my way. But even being at college wasn't a real financial education because whenever I needed money, I just called them up and they'd make a deposit into my checking account. Ahhhh... it was a beautiful thing... until I graduated from college and got a swift kick in the kiester! So, even though I didn't (don't) have much financial education, I still feel like somehow, when I screw things up with my money, that I'm not being a grown-up and that I'm letting them down- A Disappointment (one of the worst fates for a parent-pleasing-oldest-child!). So, I tend to gloss over things with my parents when it comes to my money (correction- tended to gloss over things... in the past tense) instead of facing facts and leveling with them. In the past, I would rack up another overdraft fee or two, rather than have to tell them that I was broke. Again. That's like paying someone $34 (or more, depending on how many checks would bounce because I had paid them) so I could lie to my parents! And I hate lying to or keeping things from my parents! In hindsight, it was crazy! So, for me, this was a break-through. That's my money success of the week. And, that one little conversation has saved me at least $136 in overdraft fees! That's better than coupons any day!