Paying it Forward

Disclaimer: I’m aware that my grandparents are going to be embarrassed by this. But I feel OK bragging about them shamelessly. I’m their granddaughter. That’s my job.

I got a letter in the mail today that just made my day. It had a hilarious update on how my grandparents are doing, a couple of goofy cartoons from the New Yorker and…

Cash.

Grandparents seem to know things intuitively. Maybe they knew that I’d been thinking a lot about money lately. Actually, to be honest, I’ve been kicking myself in the head about money a lot lately.

I’ve been worrying about increasing fees for school. I’ve been frustrated about wanting to buy this one Anthropologie dress that fit oh-so-nicely but was oh-so-expensive. I’ve been irritated at myself for spending as much as I do at Trader Joe’s when I have 14 meals a week in the dining hall.

I don’t usually think of money as a blessing. Usually, I see it as a burden.

But not today. Today, my grandparents sent me a gift to show me they love me. Love changes things. And for a moment, all of my money “problems” seemed inconsequential.

I think my perspective on money has started to shift lately. I’ve been wondering what would happen if I dealt with my money with more intentionality. Maybe I could be more like my grandparents.

My grandparents are the most generous people I know. They’ve done a really great job of managing money over the years. They saved like crazy when my grandpa was in the Air Force. They live pretty simply: they don’t buy extravagant items and they throw away stuff they don’t need. And they give. A lot.

They saved purposefully so they could give generously. I think that’s really beautiful.

I’d like to learn to do the same.

I’ve been doing a Spark group with some friends, where we take a risk every week to make ourselves better people or the world a better place. It’s all about adding a little more initiative to our lives.

The other night, one of my friends told me that he had a “lame” risk for this week.

After missing a couple of credit card payments and ticking off his mother, he realized he needed to make a change. So this week, he’s going to start a budget.

I told him that his risk wasn’t lame. What I didn’t tell him was that making a budget sounds infinitely dull. Like head-on-desk-passed-out-and-drooling dull. (Please, don’t tell him I said so).

But the more I thought about it, the more I began to respect what my friend is doing. Creating a budget will help him to be more intentional about the way he spends, saves and gives money. It might even get his mom off his case.

And that’s a risk worth taking. In fact, the possibilities are pretty exciting.

I may not be drowning in debt, but I am a broke college kid. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t manage my finances in a way that will allow me to give more freely.

Let the number crunching begin.

I’m doing it for my friend who is going to Honduras to serve at a medical clinic over the summer. I’m doing it for my homeless friend in Westwood. I’m doing it for my friends serving at Unicamp in a couple of months.

Grandma, Grandpa, thanks for your example. I’m paying it forward.