I did recognize myself in this; even though I’m financially independent and my money is in relatively good shape (savings, a few investments, no debt), I hate thinking about or dealing with my finances, and usually try to pretend they don’t exist beyond paying the bills and balancing my checkbook each month. A and I have totally separate finances and simply split the basic household bills (rent, electric, phone) down the middle, but I make significantly more money and do pay for our food, some household items, most of the cats’ necessities, and the majority of evenings out. This doesn’t bother me, but it was interesting to think a little harder about my probable future as the breadwinner and how that ties into my feelings about money.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
MONEY, A MEMOIR
Money, a Memoir: Women, Emotions, and Cash, by Liz Perle: Everyone should read this book, even especially if they have no interest in finances. I have no interest in finances, and I was fascinated. The material might not be completely groundbreaking, but again, I hadn’t given any of it much thought before. Perle combines memoir, anecdotes, and expert opinions to discuss women’s fucked-up relationships with money—how we aren’t raised to be fully financially responsible, how it’s considered impolite to talk about money, how we are still conditioned to believe that something in our lives will come along and rescue us and take care of us (maybe not necessarily Prince Charming anymore, but at least parents or a job or a stroke of good fortune), and how all of this leads us to imbue money with so many emotions—shame, desire, safety and security, love—that we make poor financial decisions or simply check out of our financial lives entirely, and we let it affect our relationships with parents and children and spouses.
I did recognize myself in this; even though I’m financially independent and my money is in relatively good shape (savings, a few investments, no debt), I hate thinking about or dealing with my finances, and usually try to pretend they don’t exist beyond paying the bills and balancing my checkbook each month. A and I have totally separate finances and simply split the basic household bills (rent, electric, phone) down the middle, but I make significantly more money and do pay for our food, some household items, most of the cats’ necessities, and the majority of evenings out. This doesn’t bother me, but it was interesting to think a little harder about my probable future as the breadwinner and how that ties into my feelings about money.
I did recognize myself in this; even though I’m financially independent and my money is in relatively good shape (savings, a few investments, no debt), I hate thinking about or dealing with my finances, and usually try to pretend they don’t exist beyond paying the bills and balancing my checkbook each month. A and I have totally separate finances and simply split the basic household bills (rent, electric, phone) down the middle, but I make significantly more money and do pay for our food, some household items, most of the cats’ necessities, and the majority of evenings out. This doesn’t bother me, but it was interesting to think a little harder about my probable future as the breadwinner and how that ties into my feelings about money.
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