I think it’s safe to say that a high amount of college students know what it feels like to pinch pennies. In fact, the thought of paying off student loans after graduation often makes us question whether or not it’s actually necessary to eat that night. Money in general does crazy things to us as a society. We constantly allow ourselves to become wrapped in worry when it comes to finances. I am no exception to this chaos. Though, through lessons my parents have taught me I’ve learned some of the most valuable ways of taking a step back and breathing – no matter what number follows the dollar sign.

It’s a general understanding that finances are always a factor in families. Inevitably, everything we revolve our lives around is in some way affected by the almighty dollar – no matter what amount of income is being earned. Financial statements and growing or shrinking bank accounts take hold of us during both the good and bad times throughout our lives.

I have watched my mom and dad give everything they have to provide for my brother and me. No matter what the financial situation in our household at the time, we have always been showered with opportunities and accommodations that we've longed for. This isn’t to say we were always given whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it. My parents have always been good at knowing where to draw the line when it comes to the difference between want and need. More importantly, they mastered the act of knowing the difference between
“I want that now because it’s cool, but I’ll be over it in a month,” and “I want that because I genuinely want it and plan on using it.”

Through my parents' tactics, we have been taught the importance of money management. We have learned how to take care of the things we spend money on, and how to carefully decide if things we long for are worth the amount being asked. We have resold our clothes and saved every piece of change we come across. We know how to balance our check book and how to never spend money we don’t have. We have learned that the money we are blessed to receive should not be taken for granted or thrown away and that what we do now with our money will affect our financial situations in the future. Amazingly, while instilling in us that money should be handled well and thoughtfully they also managed to teach us that we should never allow money to limit us, our dreams or how we treat those around us.

I have played travel softball the majority of my life, and it has never been cheap. As I got older and began to understand the amount being put into this sport, I always comforted myself with the fact that one day I would pay for college on my own – through softball. I did set out to do this. Yet, soon after, my parents and I made the decision to transfer from the school where I had an athletic scholarship to a school where my academics were honored. This choice wasn’t taken lightly or without hours of thought put into it.

The truth is, because I was older and such a huge part of this change, I was brought into a whole new world. I watched as my parents shifted finances around and prayed about what they should do. I witnessed the process of making financial sacrifices in a family - a process that I now realize my parents went through every single time one of us were presented with an opportunity that would drain a little more from the family’s pocketbook. While my parents have always been very open about our financial standings, they have gone through great lengths to never make us feel selfish for wanting opportunities that become available.
Somehow my parents manage to always make ends meet. They are constantly reminding me not to base the chances I take and the experiences I try on how much money we have at the time. I am reassured over and over again that if I work hard in school, stay out of trouble, and am pursuing things that are worth the time I’m putting in, with good intentions and a pure heart that the money will work itself out – that we will be covered.

Those few words have stuck with me more than anything else when it comes to finances. As somebody who struggles with always wanting things perfect I am in awe of how my parents, through all their worries and concerns, are always able to sit down and make things work and put others first. They always make their choices based on their faith and not their finances.

In all honesty, I haven’t made my mind up as to if I fully believe in karma or not. Is it something we don’t actually control? or is it simply an outcome of our actions produced over time.
I do know and believe one thing.
When we put our trust in our faith and we pursue things that shape not only our lives but others in a positive light – we usually get good things from it. When we surround ourselves with good people, we have good experiences. When we support benefits that matter, we gain support in the process and when the unavoidable bad times do come – we often are met with support that may seem to come from out of nowhere.

I have witnessed my parents time and time again turn down dinner and a movie because of finances and then immediately donate to funds throughout our community towards things such as sick friends and lost homes. I have watched as they tell us money is tight this week and drop a twenty into the tithe bucket on Sunday without blinking an eye. You see, my parents understand that certain things are much more important than others in this life and the appropriateness of spending money doesn’t depend on the amounts of money you actually have but what you’re spending it on. They have learned that the amount of money you have is not directly correlated to how happy you are and how genuine your friendships are.

There have been times we, as a family, have supported those in need. There have been times when we ourselves have leaned on the support of others. There have never been times in my family where we expect from those who we've helped or when we have been pushed to feel obligated to repay, in some grand fashion, those who have helped us. Of all the things a household goes through, we have never gone through bitterness brought on by financial issues.

In our household we have laughed when we’ve spent money on something useless, and cried when we’ve come to financial standstills. We have all four done odd jobs to earn a little extra cash as well as given money when we can. We have made memories on vacations that took a lot of saving to have as well as in our living room, eating sandwiches and spending absolutely nothing. We have gone on adventures we never thought we would and have been a part of clubs and groups we never thought we could afford. We have learned from the times we’ve spent money as well as the times we've refused to spend a penny.

In our family, we have never let money dictate who we are or what we stand for. We have given up things we love in order to provide for each other when needed. We have been taught to be selfless – genuinely and unquestionably selfless when it comes to the paper that so many of us let run our lives.

I have become a better person because of how my parents have handled financial situations throughout my raising. I have learned lessons about not only how to handle my own finances, but how to handle things that have no connection with money. I have been taught what is truly important in my life. That the people I love and the qualities I strive to posses as a member of society are not, and will never be, based on the number I see when I pull up my checking account.

These lessons, in the long run, are things I will cherish and strive to live by for the rest of my life. I continually try to instill them in my loved ones and plan on doing my best to teach my future family as well as my parents did.

None of us are immune to the anxiousness that may be brought on by finances. They will never disappear and the way society handles money won't change, but we can. If we try and take a better outlook at how we handle ourselves and our money and focus on what we truly find important, we may be able to relax and find peace in spending. Sometimes, we may even find joy.