I’ve read about preparing for change by simulating it beforehand to see how you will react to it. Kind of like a test drive. To prepare for our newborn, we should simulate it today so we feel confident when the time comes.
And by simulating I don’t mean carrying a plastic baby around that poops and cries all day. That would be insane—why would I want to simulate the lack of sleep and shrill screaming that everyone complains about when they have a kid?
The simulation I’m talking about has to do with budgeting. Want to see if you can cut back on X or Y when the baby comes? Well then do it for a couple of months before the baby comes.
Makes sense, right? Well to that I say why the hell would I want to penny pinch and stay home every night by choice when I’m going to be forced into doing that when the baby comes?
I should be doing the exact opposite—partying every night, spending every cent I can afford to spend out on the town, and overall living it up before that baby comes kicking and screaming into the world.
Right?
There are two sides to the argument. The responsible personal-finance blogger would say to go ahead and simulate the budget beforehand. Otherwise, how will you know if you can pull it off?
But here’s where I split with conventional thinking. Life is still about happiness and living to the fullest, not about making the number match.
Am I scared? Sure. But I’m not about to start our lives as parents before we actually have to.
I’m obviously talking from a place of great ignorance, so I’m curious to hear what the parents out there have to say. Start living the life now or live it up before the big day?
