Week 6 - Tasks

While I found this chapter on abundance to be very interesting, I think I was not very focused, at least not on any tasks. Some I intended to do, but for one reason or another failed to follow through. However, I gave considerable thought to the exercises.

Luxury - As enumerated in my Week 6 Check-In I named what are personal luxuries to me. I tried to acquire some of those luxuries, but in the process ended up splurging on unexpected luxuries for myself (see "I'm (T.J.) Maxxed Out!"), which was even more fun that just checking off a shopping list of things I like. I think I will think more often about things I want rather than things I need, or things someone else needs.

Counting - I made a sincere attempt to do this, but ended up confused and finally stopped. As mentioned before, I think trying to do this kind of work around holidays creates obstacles to just doing the work. I started Christmas shopping this week, and it doesn't seem right to include that in the counting, since it's a once-a-year expense. Also, would I count the cost of dental and medical check-ups? The groceries my husband purchased? The drugstore items I picked up for him that will be paid by our joint credit card? ALL expenditures or only the discretionary ones? No matter how I approached the exercise, it didn't seem to depict a true picture. Was the point of the exercise to highlight wasted money that could better be spent on creative endeavor? I'm not going to skip cleaning my teeth or having a Pap test so I can buy more fabric--it just got to be too confusing for me. I'll be interested to hear how others handled the counting exercise.

Money Madness Exercise
1. People with money are often insensitive toward people without money.
2. Money makes people either nervous or confident.
3. I'd have more money if I quit buying "stuff."
4. My dad thought money was in short supply and usually he mishandled it.
5. My mom always thought money would make her happy, but usually she mishandled it.
6. In my family, money caused huge fights and much pain.
7. Money equals choice.
8. If I had money, I'd secure my old age and my children's futures.
9. If I could afford it, I'd pay off Lee Ann's law school loans.
10. If I had some money, I'd find a house I want.
11. I'm afraid that if I had money I would feel obliged to take care of the woes of the world--or at least my own personal world.
12. Money is freedom.
13. Money [or lack of it] causes people to sometimes behave very badly.
14. Having money is not something I was accustomed to until I was 40.
15. In order to have more money, I'd need to a) work more; b) invest better, or c) win the lottery.
16. When I have money, I usually spend it wisely but fast!
17. I think money can buy a lot of happiness.
18. If I weren't so cheap I'd buy a Bernina 440 QEE. [actually, this question is pretty pointless, because I'm not a cheap or stingy person. I am not a spendthrift either, but I enjoy being at a point in my life where I have great discretion over my spending.]
19. People think money equals happiness.
20. Being broke tells me I've been unwise in managing what I had.