HOW DO YOU HANDLE FINANCES?

Good Monday morning! This is either going to be a great one, or...nah. Let's not go there. Besides the fact that it's the first day back after a long break, I'm exhausted and my head is pounding. I was hoping for a full night's rest, especially after being sick for so long, but poor Caleb showed up at 2:49 AM because of the howling wind and "spooky sounds" in the woods, and then my mind started wandering uncontrollably. Some important things, and then some less so, like my ongoing pillow drama/dilemma and why Pinterest keeps changing things up, and I never got back to sleep. So let's hope for the best.

I don't know about you, but I often wonder just how people handle their money. Not exactly a subject you bring up at parties. Or over BBQ.When I'm listening to friends talking about vacation or purchasing a new big ticket item for their home or life, I find myself wondering: how did you pay for that? Did they set aside a little each month, sacrifice something else, or did they charge it, knowing (hoping) they'll pay it off at some later point?

In my family, we rely on credit cards for most of our purchases. I've had the occasional I'm-going-to-change-everything-about-everything in terms of how we handle finance moments over the years, but those ideas fizzled out rather quickly. Plus, we simply like the convenience of plastic. Our spending isn't out of control, we pay off the bill at the end of each month and never carry a balance, but something still feels a little off.

I want a plan. I need a plan. Maybe a good starting place would be to write out some financial goals. I'm not talking retirement here, just day to day living as well as bigger things like family vacations/excursions. It almost feels kind of embarrassing, like, I'm a grown up with a growing family and a home- I should already know these things. But they were never talked about in my house, and all of the plans I've tried over the years just haven't worked for us. So here's my question: what has worked for you? I'd love it if you shared your thoughts or ideas in the comments. Thanks!

It sounds so simple, really: just save up for what you want. But it never seems to work that way, especially when broken arms happen and the fridge dies and that rattle in the car is getting louder...