Owning our Story

When we were offered the opportunity to participate in Project Money, our biggest hesitation was around our discomfort in being public about our finances. We are all taught that it is impolite to talk about money. It's considered rude to ask someone how much they spent on something. Our coworkers' salaries are a closely guarded secret. What sorts of judgement will people make when they hear we are participating in a program to help us improve our finances? Will we have to publicly disclose how much money we owe on our car or student loans?

It is very hard to shake these feelings, but we have also learned how much can be gained by being more open in these discussions. 

1) No matter how much or how little money you have, you can always learn how to use it more wisely. 

Just because you have a lot of disposable income and can afford to "waste" it, should you? If all you can manage to scrape together at the end of the month is an extra $25, what will you use it for? However much we have available, we can be intentional about what we do with it rather than just reacting blindly. Our coach told us: "If all you do is look at your money, it behaves differently." By setting goals and sticking to them, we are transforming our lives. There is no shame in admitting that we want to be smarter with our hard-earned resources and in getting help to learn things we don't yet know how to do! 

2) Sharing information about how much we earn and spend helps others and ourselves. 

What is a good interest rate on refinancing student loans? How much is my neighbor paying for internet service? How much more money is my male coworker making than me for doing the same job with the same education and experience levels? I recently joined a private Facebook group about budgeting for families. People share details on everything, like how much they spend on groceries each week or how much they were able to negotiate down the price of a car. It is so empowering! Who benefits by keeping this information a secret? Only the people who make money off consumers or employees who are being taken advantage of. We’ve also heard from so many friends and acquaintances that they learned something from one of our blogs or social media posts, or have been inspired by us to start thinking differently about how they handle their finances. That feels so amazing to hear! 

So what do we have to lose by being open? As Brene Brown says, "vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change."  This journey has taught us the power of stepping into a brave space and owning our financial story so that it doesn't own us.