Don't Be Normal

Don't be normal. Normal is broke! (as Dave Ramsey says!)

People think I'm weird. Especially my family. They think my obsession with money and budgeting is strange. They thought it was a just a phase, but now after 7 months, they fear I may be weird for good.

My husband thinks it will be impossible for us to never have another car payment. (I am determined to prove him wrong!)

My mother doesn't think we should pay off our mortgage early. You'll lose the tax deduction! she warns. (Ignoring the fact that I'll save much more by not paying all that interest.)

My sisters definitely think I'm weird. (And I have 3 of them!

Sister #1 is young (mid 20's) and single and likes the finer things in life. She has a lot of disposable income, and uses it to buy herself nice stuff. She does not really appreciate when I give her financial advice. (I can't help myself! When I look at all those charts showing how much your money could be worth if you start young! I want her to avoid the mistakes I made [which were, coincidentally, also spending all of my own disposable income on nice stuff for myself].

Sister #2 is also young (late 20's) and has a lot of student loans (as she got her PhD). She just bought a condo with her boyfriend. She did not like my advice to live on beans and rice and rice and beans and pay off all of the student loans before buying a condo. Her boyfriend feels they shouldn't pay off the student loans early because the interest is so low. (I say no interest is better than low interest!)

Sister #3 is married with two kids (mid 30's). Her and her husband are both teachers and don't make a lot of money. But she only uses brand name products and thinks I'm strange when I say that I consider wipes a luxury. (And she's quick to point out that her pricey toilet paper is much softer than mine!)

So, I guess the consensus in my family is that I am weird. Truth be told, I kind of enjoy it. I guess I really do believe that I am living like no one else now so that I can live like no one else later! And I'll be laughing all the way to the bank!