Sharon Durling - A Girl and Her Money

A Girl and Her Money

A Girl and Her Money

Sharon Durling

2003 by Sharon Durling

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotation in printed reviewswithout the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

ISBN 0-8499-4376-0

Printed in the United States of America

02 03 04 05 PHX 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

A quiz to determine how you finagle your finances nowand how youd like to in the future

A worksheet to document income and expenditures to direct you toward mapping the spending plan that works for you

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING TO BREAK out for a while. I am grateful to Todd Sinelli and Stacey Padrick Thompson for urging me to write it and set it free. Warmest thanks to senior editor Ami McConnell for her professionalism, guidance, and spirit. And more than a nod to editor Holly Halverson for her (desperately needed) organizational skills.

Thanks to Joan and Brandt Madsen, Jeanie and David Hoover, Marla Mothershed, Kevin Tobin, Beth Hart, and Marnie and Dan Hanesworth, for their loving hospitality in this, the most amazing of years for me.

Thanks to my assortment of beautiful friends whose support, words, and love sustain my spirit, mind, and heart: Melissa Copley, Nora Moreno Cargie, Cathleen Tobin, Mary Ann Wilkens, Bill Pavelec, Dana Sweeney, Eva Hyndman, Dody Finch, Susan Cheng, Greg King, and Wanda Taylor. Thanks to Dave Jones for tech and lunch support.

I am grateful to my wonderful and functional Family Durling for their prayersespecially Marilyn, Carol, Sally, Donald, Zita, Calvin, JoAnn, and Philip. Most especially am I grateful to my mother and dad, for their love and example that continue to amaze me as well as any bystanders along the way.

Thanks to Rev. James T. Meeks, from whom I am still learning the power of praying big prayers.

HOW ARE YOUR TEETH? MINE ARE GREAT. TWICE a year, Mom took me to Doc Taylors office overlooking Main Street where he would tell me I had maybe one cavity, the rest looked great, and I should keep flossing. Eighty-some dental visits later, theyre beautiful, and because theyre my only set, I treat all thirty of them very well (two belligerent molars started a fight and had to go).

I do the same for my car. It goes to Militos for a regular oil change because I figure if Im good to my car, itll be good to me. I brush the winter salt off my shoes and buff them to make that leather look great one more season. My silks and wools travel regularly to the dry cleaner to ensure they retain their shape and longevity. The heating/cooling guy sees my furnace and air conditioner annually, checking Freon levels and CO output, ensuring the health and safety of my house and me.

I love my body (its my only one) and cherish my relatively good health. I see my internist, gynecologist, mammogram technician, and dermatologist for checkups. I hope to keep myself in exceptional condition through old age. My fuel intake reflects this: I avoid dairy products, processed flours and sugars, caffeine, and alcohol, and opt instead for vegetables, fruits, and soy things. I take herbs to boost my immune system. I exercise and do yoga to keep back pain, mental sluggishness, and other stuff I dont want at bay.

I tend to my spiritual health as well. I meditate, read the Bible, and get appropriately, uncomfortably challenged by my minister, all of which help to keep me spiritually strong.

I get lots of love from my social circle; I return the love and do volunteer work.

My lifemost of the timeis fairly well-rounded. OK, this is embarrassing to admit, so go easy on me, but Ill tell you the truth: I have been less inclined to take as meticulous care of my capital assets as I have my merino wool sweater with the marinara sauce spilled down the front. Ill rush that sweater right over to Dons Cleaners. Ill run my car over to Militos at the first funny sound in the engine. I dash out for decongestants at the first sense of heaviness in my sinuses. I call my friends at the first whiff of a blue mood. I resew loose buttons, fertilize my flowers, and keep my bicycle oiled. The truth is, I dont always care for my financial assets as well as I do my body, house, clothes, and car.

So years went by before I bothered to notice I was paying 28 cents per minute for long-distance calls. Meanwhile, the rest of you had figured out the call-pack plans of your local and long-distance carriers and were averaging 4.2 cents per minute from Jacksonville to Juneau. Sometimes all you have to do is actually read those statements.

As if bound for Oprah-land, we women of the third millennium are fixated on holistic balance in our livesmental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. Yet notoriously, our financial health is left wanting. As chicklets who just want to have fun, we dont really want to think about the fact that we outlive the men in our lives and have smaller pension plans because we tend to get paid less and work fewer years. The fact is, dear sweet girl on the go, you do not want to wake up someday to discover your physical assets have outlived your financial assetsyikes! So we must give both equal care. In fact, excellent physical health will positively impact your financial healthhealthcare expense can be a huge drain on your finances. Moreover, financial dis-ease has been known to instigate physical illness.

So if I keep taking such good care of my body, and if I inherited longevity genes from Grandma Durlingwho was fit as a fiddle till she died of an infected toe in her 107th yearand if I could just quit my jaywalking habit, its altogether likely Ill be sprinting into my nineties. So its all the more important that I do the same for my financial assets as I do for my teeth, merino sweater, and carthat I know where my finances are, with whom they are cavorting, whether they need a new spark plug, some cleaning solution, braces, or a vaccination.

The bottom line is this: Why would you take excellent care of your teethassuming you do, oh sweet-breathed oneand not ensure that the result of your lifetime work is also kept in sparkly white, cavity-free condition, fully protected from rot, thievery, and an early demise?

You see, what you do today profoundly affects your future. You must make financial decisions as if your life depended on it. In factit does. The tiniest of decisions add up to a critical mass that can make or break your financial future. What you think about, and therefore what actions you take now, profoundly impacts your future.

Money isnt easy. It is as complicated as any relationship. It requires the attention, nurture, and communication demanded of a marriage. But the investment of your time and attention always pays: Attending to your relationship with money will bring greater satisfaction to your life. Maybe you and your money will even attend a few counseling sessions together. By calling for a peaceful truce with your finances, you will dissolve distaste for paying bills, contributing to your retirement fund, and giving to charity. In fact, youll look forward to opportunities to give and save.