Moms and Spending Money on Ourselves

**This post is brought you by Genworth on behalf of Brandfluential.  All opinions stated are 100% my own.

I don’t know about other moms out there, but I have a really hard time spending money on myself.  Every time I go to buy something for myself, I second guess it and think of all the things that $14.99 could pay for.  It’s not because we can’t afford it, I just have a really hard time spending money on myself.  Tonight, for example…I was at Target picking up a birthday gift for one of Zachary’s friends.  Bella and I went down the aisle that had Detroit Lions clothing.  I found a really cute pair of sparkly Lions flip flops.  I had them in my cart, but as I walked up to the front of the store from the back, I set them on a shelf because I decided I really didn’t need them…I just liked them.

Over the last few years, I’ve watched women in my family lose their husbands to Cancer.  It has really made me stop and think about a lot of things.  One of those things being our finances.  If something, God forbid, ever happened to my husband, I need to know that I can handle our finances and be OK.  A new study by Joanne W. Hsu, an economist at the Federal Reserve Board, proves:

“…women become more financially literate with age.  The study revealed that as women approach widowhood, they have a stronger incentive to gain financial literacy, thereby making them smarter with money.”

There are companies out there that can help couples handle their wealth and get their finances under control.  For more information, visit the Genworth website.

As a mom, I’m the last person I think about.  While it’s a great thing that I am becoming much more financially responsible, I also need to take care of my needs, as well.  So one of the things I did was get a separate bank account from our joint account that, at this particular bank, has the ability to be broken up into three categories (all within the one account).  Those categories are:

• Spend:  This is the part of the account that is attached to my debit card that I use to pay for the kids sports, any clothing I may need and special treats for the kids.
• Reserve:  This part of the account is attached to my Spend account.  If I goof and spend more than I have, it will pull from this account.  I personally only keep $25 here.  I don’t want to get in the habit of goofing up like that.  I’d rather the card just get declined on me.
• Save:  This part of the account is where I transfer money to that I don’t spend.  This is my little nest egg, so to speak.

I’ve decided that the “Save” part of the account will go towards paying for a new Mac laptop that I have been wanting for a long time.  Since I work online, having a good computer is essential.  See how I talk myself into believing that the laptop is a need, not a want?  Therefore, making it easier for me to purchase something for myself!  However, by utilizing this system, I put a little bit in the “Save” portion of the account at a time, all while making sure I have enough to cover the kids sports and the vet visits.

Am I alone…do other moms out there have a hard time spending money on themselves?  Also, out of curiosity, who handles the finances in your house?