Living Wisely

I'd like to address a new issue today, a topic that has been weighing heavily on my mind, Provident Living.

One aspect of provident living that has been a huge topic in recent political discussions, and is something we should all be concerned about within our own homes is finances. Our individual financial situations are of great significance, it is of utmost importance for us to avoid debt and learn the principles of frugality and savings.

With today's economy and with the newest struggles that this country now faces, it is even more important for our citizens to understand the fundamentals that this country was based upon and even more important is understanding what responsibilities we hold as citizens and as humans on this earth. I feel that too many people have misconstrued the basic principles of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness into a feeling of entitlement.
Entitlement- a belief that because a person lives and breathes they are somehow entitled to all the luxuries of the world. This is not the case. The central government was created to protect these unalienable rights, not to provide handouts. Unfortunately the time has come where so many people are living well outside their means and are in a position where debt is inevitable and a missed paycheck is cause for panic. This is not what provident living is.

What is provident living exactly? 
Let's examine the word "provident," some synonyms include "farseeing" and "wise." So through insertion, it would be safe to call "provident living" "wise living" and also to think of "wise" as "farseeing," so living wisely would be to live with the future in mind. SO living from paycheck to paycheck would not be "farseeing" or "wise," right? Are you following me here? Now, some think that they HAVE to live paycheck to paycheck- for the vast majority of the people in this country, this is not the case! Sorry, no excuses there. People live paycheck to paycheck because they CHOOSE to.
"WHAT!?," you say- Humor me with your attention for a moment...  You have all these bills and a mortgage AND you have to eat and get to work, right? Okay, sure, that's true, however, who decided to buy a house with a mortgage that much? and who chose to buy a car that has that gas mileage and who decided to eat out instead of making their lunch? Obviously we each have basic needs, like food and shelter, but the cost/type of shelter and food is something YOU decide. When you make those decisions you decide whether or not you are living within your means. Its not a matter of how much money you make, its a matter of your own self control.

The LDS church has created a website dedicated to this very cause called www.providentliving.org, the website aims to educate people on self-reliance and has plenty of resources for debt management and a family budget worksheet. There's also a wonderful article that I would encourage everyone to read that better conveys the point I'm trying to make here. Its called, "Wealth is what you save, not what you spend" and you can find it on www.marketwatch.com. Its important to look at purchases as an investment and to evaluate whether or not you'll get an appropriate return on your investment before making the purchase- that's part of what the article teaches, but you should read it yourself. Another good source of better understanding money is an amazing book my husband gave me to read called, The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason.
Now, I'm not professing to know everything on this topic, or that I am the best at anything I've mentioned here, but that I know it's of great importance and it's worth addressing.

I realize that this topic might seem a little outside the realm of my blog, but it actually fits perfectly into the ideals of a Molly Mormon. A woman who oversees a home and plans for the future knows there will always be unexpected expenses; the toilet will break, the roof will leak, your child will fall, and your children will grow up and will go to college and will get married. Therefore these women know that they need to make the best choices for their family, plan for the future, be wise in their spending and trust in the Lord. AND at the end of the day they can know that they've done all that they can.
My husband and I strive to make the right choices everyday so that when we look at our son we don't have to worry whether or not we can provide for him.  We know we're doing everything we can to ensure that his future will be bright. I urge everyone to do this for yourselves and especially for those who depend on you. If you need help, reach out the resources available to you.