2004-01-22 - 10:46 a.m.
So why is it that I only write here when I'm sleep-starved?
The Professor is cutting her last molars, which means sleepless nights for all. She doesn't go to sleep until late, then wakes up at 3 AM because the Tylenol has worn off and her head hurts. Since her mouth hurts, she doesn't eat as much, and she loses weight. J and I get worried about her. The pediatrician doesn't seem too concerned, so we're trying not to freak out too much. It's entirely possible that the Professor got all the skinny genes from both sides of the family. We'll see.
A note about our pediatrician: this man is the best kind of doctor. He's a geek. He likes kids, and the problems and issues of children's health genuinely interest him. The money is secondary. He's got a good sense of humor, he's dedicated (when the Professor was in the ICU, we'd see him making rounds at 6 AM), and best of all he's a Tolkien freak. We usually spend a couple minutes each visit raving about the films. Good doctor.
After much soul-searching and hair-tearing, I've come to the conclusion that many of our financial woes are my fault. I spend way too much money on fancy groceries, simply because I can. Then J buys something for the Professor, or something for herself, and by the end of the month we're skint. So, I've been reading some financial books and getting ideas. I just finished Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace Revisited", and it's an eye-opener. He's a big advocate of austerity measures, "beans and rice, rice and beans" living, and extreme debt reduction. He's also a big advocate of planning. Not just budgeting, but planning. Establish an emergency fund, pay off your debts one at a time, then start socking your money away. Pay cash for everything. If you don't have the cash for something, save until you do. Lots of good, basic financial principles, many of which I first heard from my father, and which I completely ignored until now.
J is tolerating me. When I start on a project, I get obsessive: I talk to myself, I read everything I can get my hands on, and it takes a lot to get me to let go. I also get thoroughly convinced that I'm right about everything, which makes me insufferable. I have to really struggle with my ego when J and I discuss finances. We are talking about money and what our priorities are, though, which is always good.
I am taking one adage of Lazarus Long's to heart: "Budget the luxuries first!" After all, how am I gonna get by without Volpi prosciutto and mortadella?
