According to Our Estimates, You're Screwed

"According to our estimates, you're screwed" is printed on the envelope of my annual Social Security statement-- at least, it seems that way.  In addition to paying into Social Security, as a public school teacher I am also required to contribute to my state's pension fund to the tune of 6% (and you feel the dedication of 6% of a salary that is already below market, believe me).  However, I think by the time that pension comes due for me the benefits will have been whittled down to a monthly coupon mailer and a few Band Aids for healthcare.

There's something about New Year's Eve looming that makes one reflect on finances and (if you can believe the ads that run at this time of year) buy a lot of plastic storage containers.  Perhaps it's just that tax season is around the corner, or perhaps it's the one time of year that Americans generally agree to pause for self-improvement, but I have been trying to trim my budget.  I thought I was making some progress when I traded in my $80/month smart phone for a stone age, pay-as-you-go flip phone (around $25/month).  Then the bills started rolling in for my son's recent emergency room trip, which will total hundreds in co-insurance.  So there you have it, it's hard to get ahead; at least, it feels that way.

Personal finance and investing have always fascinated me, although largely, I must admit, as an almost purely academic topic since there is nothing left by the time I pay bills, pay the land payment for our small farm (my real investment), and pay hundreds in after school care for my sons.  However, I read finance books and magazines with a great deal of interest.  I keep visualizing myself as having lots of resources-- enough to care for my family, travel, and to move an historic African American school building (see www.underthekudzu.org) to our property and restore it.  I want to create a cultural/agricultural education center, so I do pray for prosperity.  What usually happens when I pray for abundance, however, is that someone gives me a box of kittens.  Perhaps I need to be more specific!

The garden catalogs come thick and fast this time of year as well.  Their outer covers seem to say "Ordering seeds and a few new fruit trees is one pleasure even a teacher can afford."   If I can't foresee what will happen with Social Security or my state pension fund, at least I can grow more food.  As an added bonus, I am too lazy and cheap to apply synthetic chemicals to my garden, so within the confines of our kitchen I call our produce "organic," making it feel more valuable.  It's one instance when less is definitely more.