Is cash management always escaping you?
Moving Into the Unknown With Little Cash Management Experience
I received a handwritten envelope with a letter in the mail postmarked from Utah when I was living in Florida. I knew no one in Utah. The letter was in reference to cash management challenges; it had a phone number on it. I called the number. I spoke with a gentleman about the letter. I remember at the end of our conversation he told me there was always a way out. On this day I did not know I would be facing a difficult financial situation happening in my life.
A few months later, I was facing a divorce as a young mother with two small children. I was concerned about our financial situation and safety. So many questions loomed largely, where would we live, how would we survive, how do I start over? I thought about the letter and the conversation I had with the gentleman from Utah. Who could possibly be trying to get a message to me? I realized there was another time in my life that I received a handwritten envelope and card with a poem in it.
Seeking Support for Cash Management Help
I called my friend Peter in Michigan first. Peter had spent time in Florida, he knew the area I was located in and we talked about my situation. I didn’t ask Peter for money, however, he told me “I will back you up.” I felt that Peter meant he would help me with cash for any cash management challenges I faced.
Next, I called my friend Bob. Bob and Peter worked together in Michigan so they were very familiar with each other. I knew both of them for a few years before I moved out of Michigan. Bob listened to my story of what was happening. Bob offered to be there for me by phone anytime I needed to call. I told Bob that Peter had offered to back me up.
Courage to Start Over
So I went through this journey of filing for divorce, moving out of state, and starting over in a new area. The challenges of cash management were tough. I didn’t have any credit to use. Every time that I called Peter for help he wouldn’t answer the phone or call me back. Bob, on the other hand, would answer my calls every day. Although Bob did not tell me what to do, he helped me to figure out what my next step was. I decided that Peter wasn’t answering my calls because Bob told him not to. Of course, I was a little angry about this, cash loaned to me would have made things so much easier in the short run. Bob wanted me to start looking at things differently. Bob wanted me to learn what would work for me in the long run.
Empowered by the Cash Management Lesson
I know now that it took a lot of love from Bob and Peter to teach me this lesson. The most important thing I learned was to look at what my resources were. I learned to sell instead of borrow. That’s what I did! I sold everything I owned and started from square one. It took about three years to get back on my feet. I learned how to never get in that situation again. During that time in my life, I did not shop at the mall at all. I furnished our new home and bought what I needed for my kids at garage sales.
The best part was that I had the satisfaction and confidence in taking care of myself. I was empowered from that point on.
I was so grateful to Bob and Peter that they saw me through, they backed me up together; I named my third baby, a boy after them, Robert Peter. I know that it took a lot of love for Bob and Peter to teach me this lesson.
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Picture Credit: Devanath, Pixabay