littlepieceofheaven: Lesson for me

Those of you who know me and my husband at all, know that we differ where finances are concerned. Most couples do to some degree.  He would like to bury it all in the backyard. I would like to take all of it to Pottery Barn. Good thing we have each other. Okay, maybe better for me than Bill! We have both revised our thinking since getting married 10 years ago. It was not always easy, a pretty painful process. One thing we have ongoing discussions (and yes, arguments) about since moving to our acreage in Skiatook is time management vs. financial management.  The load of chores immediately multiplied when we unpacked our stuff out here on the pasture!  I don't know why this came as such a surprise to me. Not only do we have the normal house, yard work, kid's activities, car maintenance, etc. We have a barn and 30 acres now, fences that need to be fixed, cows and horses to feed, brush hog work to do, a garden to maintain...the list goes on.  I am always suggesting we have someone at least mow and edge our "yard" so that we can focus on the pasture and barn area.  Or maybe let's have someone help put up shelving in our barn. Let's hire someone...please. Your time is valuable. I'd rather just have more time to enjoy our place. Dig deep in those pockets and CALL SOMEBODY!

No. I'm going to do it myself, he says. He and I both know that the main reason for this is purely financial. I get it.  This is a one income family with three kids headed to private school. There is a limit to what we can do and we have to be responsible regarding our future. But he always throws this out too:

I want the kids to see US working hard, taking care of things, doing things ourselves. It's a good lesson and shows them value in hard work. It's what I want to show them.

It sounds perfect. It really does. However, I usually roll the eyes and drop my case. He wins and gets to put that money that I had only conceptually taken out, back in his pocket. Honestly, what can I say after that? Such a good lesson for them. Very true. But we don't have time for all of the things we need to do! We have yet to get around to things that needed doing when we moved out here five years ago! I always chalked this up to another attempt at saving money. I knew that what he was saying had merit, but I still just pulled out the tally sheet and marked another "1" for Bill and "0" for me.

Until I read this. I stumbled across this little book made by Claire this week. I think I can say, tail between my legs, that the score is still Bill "1" and Courtney "0". This is why I am thankful to be on his team. Oh, I still think he needs to let someone else bury the trampoline in the backyard (my latest project), but this little book, all of Claire's own doing, spoke volumes to me.  Yes, thank you Bill for working so hard. We all appreciate you! And wow, they are paying attention.