“Life is a difficult time,” says comedian and creator Hanoch Daum, and there’s some truth to that. If you do not know how to manage financially in a world of abundance, personal aspirations and constant business competition – you are on the way to a difficult and tense period. And if you are part of a young family that has just been established, then all the more so.
I met my wife through a mutual friend, and three months later I proposed to her. Why hurry? How did I know it was the right thing to do? I just knew. We were both over the age of 30, going through personal journeys on separate routes, until they decided to bump into each other and unequivocally determine for us that the next route would be taken together.
Being single was good to us – restaurants, movies, trips in Israel and abroad, interesting workshops and lectures – and especially a great love that wrapped everything in pink colors. Our fast pace led us to decide that it was time for a nuclear and private family. The “passer-by” and Leah, the bank depositor, were not a function in the calculations for the future.
A first child came into the world. A great joy. Then, not far from her, another sweet and stunning baby girl was born. But wait, there’s a garden, diapers, clothes and more. “What about my private business?” I thought to myself. Will I continue to be independent in a changing economic reality, or will my new status, father of two daughters, suddenly dictate a new agenda? My wife and I looked anxiously at the bank account, at expenses that were only decreasing from month to month, and said to ourselves, “We need help.”
My champion partner did a quick Google search and found Paamonim – free external assistance with close and instructive accompaniment. We jumped at the bargain, left details on the website, and Uri the volunteer called us the very next day. He wanted to know all the relevant details – debts, study funds, fixed expenses, credit card details and more. “Friends,” he said after delving into the data, “you have to change. I think it’s time to move to healthier economic thinking.” My partner and I nodded in agreement.
Persevere and succeed
The process by which we are supposed to update every expense at any given moment was initially difficult. Because, after all, perseverance is a challenge. Even the significant reduction in what was our main pastime, eating in restaurants, was not easy in the initial stages.
We set up a WhatsApp group and called it “Paamonim expenses,” where we wrote down what needed to be updated and how much we spent each day and in what category. Without realizing it, COVID-19 arrived and my income as a self-employed person took a hit, forcing us to shrink even more. Still, we somehow surprised ourselves when every month we managed to save money and streamline processes that previously seemed impossible. We saw what was happening in other homes and said to ourselves, “We will be different”, we will not let ourselves fall, our girls deserve functioning parents who will bring abundance and harmony.
Uri gave wise advice and praised us every phone meeting for what was happening and for the ongoing reports. “You’re doing a good job,” he complimented in one conversation, “I recommend you seriously look into buying your own house. The money you save can be used for a mortgage.”
We shared with him the prices and supply of apartments, and after four months of pooling all the funds for initial capital and taking out a mortgage, we moved to our own house in Harish. There is no better and more wonderful feeling – knowing that you have taken on a process in which you have to persevere and eventually succeed and even buy your own home.
Today, after the escort, we feel more responsible for our fate and our good personal feelings, which also affect the relationship and the children. We are less stressed and tense and know that even if there is a small stumble, it can always be fixed. We have already set ourselves the goal of planning a new monthly budget, starting this January. Nonetheless, life is dynamic and needs change.
