Responsibility

There is a saying in the group I roam with, 'It sucks to be a grown-up, sometimes.' I might have erroneously added the sometimes. Either way, it reminds me that it might be nice being an adult living on my own and receiving a quality paycheck, but I have things that I have to take care of. The One and I live comfortably on our paychecks; the bills get paid; we can find food in our refrigerator/cabinet...most days; we have money for extra frivolities. That last one is generally where we get ourselves into trouble. The One and I like to go out and eat. We like to share time with our friends outside the confines of our house. And there is nothing wrong with that. We know where our limits are. The One and I have been good at keeping to the standards we hold ourselves. That is what makes it all the more difficult when we see something we want.

I hope, for my financial sake, that I never decide to forgo an important need just for the enjoyment of a want. I never want to put Future Skate in a position where we might lose something important because we decided a want was more important that a need. I know Future Skate has plans and things he wants to do. Future Skate and The One will be married and have their needs. Future Skate and The One will have children and their needs. All of this weighs on my mind when I see a want. Sure, I could rob Peter to pay Paul. I can put things on a credit card and let Future Skate take care of it. But I know that is not the right answer.

I have great plans and ideas that I have for myself. Some of those plans includes paying off what debt I have. More importantly, my plans include The One and I getting engaged. While I will not be waiting until all debt is paid off and we are in perfect financial stability, I would like to start on the right footing. She may not get the exact engagement ring, or any one of the many she has cataloged for me, but I would like to get her something special.

I had mentioned in a previous blog that I was going to aggressively manage my debt. I still plan on taking an aggressive stand, I might just tone it down a bit. While I might be used to living like a bachelor and refrain from extra heat, food, and other desirable quality of life items, The One is not. Nor should she be. I make enough to balance pleasure and responsibility. I might have to cut some pleasure out. I might have to make a grocery run instead of a fast food run. I might have to decide that my wants are not as important as my needs or her wants. So yes, it might suck to be a grown-up sometimes and curb pleasure for responsibility; but, Future Skate will appreciate my efforts when he does not have to clean up a mess I left him.

~Skate