Have you ever known anyone who has no issues around money? I have not.
We have too little, we have too much. We spend it freely or are fearful of spending it at all. The stock market goes up, the stock market goes down. What do I do with my money and what do I do if I don’t have enough? Oh and if I have too much money how do I not become part of the one percent? (Not that I think that is a big worry).
MONEY MONEY MONEY
This issues is raising its head or tail once again. I am planning a trip to Africa later this year. When my friend asked me if I wanted to join her on this adventure, my first reaction was no. Why? It is an expensive trip. And since we are going far we are going to stay for a while and see as much as we can.
I immediately heard my dad gasping for air, although he has been on the other side for years. Where do these old tapes come from? How long do I need to hold onto them? Can I change them? How do I tell my father to Hush it or at least tame it down a bit. When do I just bite the bullet and take the leap, and have faith that I won’t be homeless tomorrow? Oh wait, I think I am homeless. I have no home except for my sweet little RV.
When I was younger, if I had $5000 in savings I immediately would think, “it is time to plan a trip”. And plan I would. Now I have more than that and I get concerned about spending it. My latest statement I ask myself time and again is, “and how long do you think you are going to live?” The truth is, even if I don’t want to face it, I have a limited amount of time left on this earth. I have lived longer than what I have left, although I do plan to stay around for a while.
There has to be a happy medium between being frugal and spending beyond my means. I am not always sure how to find that medium or even what that means. I have friends with enough money for the rest of their lives and yet they still worry over every nickel and dime. My accountant worries when I have to pay in taxes at the end of the year. I have friends that always express concerns regarding money. Now granted some of those friends are living on an extremely limited income and I get that, yet there are others that are not. They are the ones who worry the most.
Another thing I noticed when I was single, pre-Jim, when I worried about my money, I often found I had less. When I gave up that worry, somehow I always seem to have enough. I had a roof over my head, food in the refrigerator and a job. If I was a little short one month I found I didn’t go to the movies or out to eat as often and I was fine. I always had enough money to go dancing. 💃🏻
How do I manage issues around money when they surface in my life?
- The first thing I do is acknowledge that these issues are surfacing again. If I can say “hey here it is again” I then have the chance to acknowledge this event and breath and maybe change my feelings.
- Maybe this is the time to review my finances and reassure myself I am OK.
- When Jim was alive and I would ask him if we were financially OK. We decided we would do our banking together so I would always know what we had. I think this is a great idea. When Jim died the transition to doing my finances by myself was almost non-existent. Trust me that this helps a whole lot when a major life transition occurs.
- It’s important to recognize what’s causing my anxiety. Sometimes if I write down what is causing the stress I can more easily recognize it. Keeping the list short can helps me feel less overwhelmed.
Regarding my upcoming trip, I have found it is helpful that I don’t have to put all of the money out at once. That is one good reason to plan a trip ahead of time. I have time to review finances as dates approach for more contributions to the full cost of the trip. Trip insurance is a must. When I was younger I never gave trip insurance a second thought. Today I do.
Planning for this trip helps as well. As I plan and get excited about my upcoming adventures the money issues will fade into the background. That has been my experience in the past and I imagine that trend will continue as Africa looms closer and closer.
Today I am taking a worry about money holiday and am planning to go and enjoy a beautiful Santa Ana day in San Diego. Taking time off will make my approach to this issue fresh tomorrow. In the meantime I think I will breath and enjoy the day.
Journeys of Thankfulness 
Janet, my cousin, Jonna and hubby Ed, are going to Africa this summer or fall. Might you meet her? What a lovely thought.
Fantastic post! I have been there in years past always wondering if I could afford to do something and somehow always found a way. I am glad to read you are planning for this once in a lifetime trip to Africa. Opportunities like this come rarely or never. Maybe you’ll win a lottery if you’re into playing. But for sure, you will never kick yourself for going! And if you need to lay low afterwards to accumulate funds, you will. Can’t wait to hear all about this adventure!
You can do Africa on less than you think. Spent $5k on a 7 week trip with A 21 day safari that included airfare. Pick up a high end Barclay card or Saphire card and they’ll give you a $450 bonus. Charge everything to it and you soon have a good chunk of your airfare paid. Just book at the South Africa National Parks.
The affirmation that has quelled my money fears for the last few years is, I have plenty of money to do everything I want to do. Every time some fear creeps in I repeat it a few times. It always has been true, so I have no reason to think it won’t always be true, despite the fact that I’m heading into retirement while the market is heading down. I say maintain an abundance Consciousness, and give no energy to a scarcity consciousness. And if that fails, visit ny financial advisor again to get his reassurance.
Where in Africa? I’ve only been to Kenya, So Africa, and a couple days in Zimbabwe and Botswana. I want to go back to more countries
Thanks for this Janet. I hear you! I have similar worries and fluctuations – we have enough, we don’t have enough! We are currently on a 10 month global adventure. We rented our condo for a year, parked our Roadtrek and are home free! My experience with global travel is that we always spend more than I think we’re going to so we have to plan accordingly. And yes to travel insurance. Same here – never used to buy it. Have a great time planning for Africa! What a great adventure!