I'm rich!

Every now and then Ron and I ride with a driver who is absolutely convinced we are rich. "Ooooh, you gotta lotta money, huh?" said with a knowing wink. Combined, Ron and I take home about half what he makes, but he'll never believe it.

I am rich, in the things that matter. I have a loving God who cares about me, and a loving, supportive family. A husband who cherishes me and values me. Co-workers I like and respect, who feel the same about me. A quiet home in a safe neighborhood, good doctors I trust and respect, and two handsome kitties to sleep in my bed.

However, I take home about $600 a month. I've got room and board included since I'm married to the boss. My idea of a good time is reading a used inspirational romance novel (about a quarter at my local store), or maybe taking my knitting (cost, about 10 cents an hour) to Taco Bell and yakking at Ron. Our favorite date is "Burger King and Half-Price Books (for Heather), on her way back, Heather picks up some Falafel to-go for Ron; who sits, eats, and talks to Heather on the cell phone."

Oh, yeah. I'm a wild party animal. Oh, yeah, Saturdays finds me with the knitting in front of the Sci-fi channel on our awesome 20 inch low-def TV. It's no wonder that the burglary ring in our subdivision (several people were "hit") passed us up - our "stuff" wouldn't be worth the trouble to break the window. Even this computer was purchased used (off-lease) for $100. 99% of my clothes come from Wal-mart (jeans and t-shirts) and I even buy generic prescriptions!

I just have to laugh at guys like that. Money! Money! If I had enough money! Life is only good if I have lots of MONEY! Gotta get more MONEY! Guys like that, always obsessed with money, are the poorest ones I know. They're always getting sucked into scams, getting divorced, or working themselves into the hospital.

Money is the least of it. Sure, security is important. But God's not going to decide if you get into heaven based on your W-2's. The biggest concern, where I go when I'm dead, is already covered 'cause I got saved at age 8.

God's provided for us. We live below our means (spend less than we make). We avoid all credit cards. Ron has a $300 balance on one from some dental work, and he pays above the minimum every month.

I'm looking to maybe buy some wool yarn off ebay; but I'm going to let it "cook" a few days before I go punching my debit card number into paypal. When I shop online, I use the debit card, and I keep a low balance in the account to avoid impulse buying. When I get paid, I break the cash into "Saved up for" items (like a medical appointment or a special purchase - currently putting up $15 a pay period for a new winter jacket), "This week" and "Next week". I only use "This week". Once it's gone, it's gone. Anything else has to wait until the next week. It works for me.

I love it when Ron calls me "His Economy Model". I have no problem buying a used clothing item (except underwear, ewwww) or book. I don't need to eat at a fancy restaurant. I'm happy riding Metrolift, reading my used books, knitting with my cheap yarn, and eating at Taco Bell.

I'm rich in the things that matter.