Jasonwrote a great new book called Financial Sorcery that I was privileged enough to be a beta reader for. You should get it, it's really helpful as magic tends to fall into just a few categories in my opinion: protection, hexing, love/fertility (of all kinds), healing and money. It's a huge undertaking to take on something that big but Jason does a really good job breaking it down into bite sized pieces from both a magical and mundane stand point.The part that I was the most fascinated by was where he talked about Set Point Theory which is apparently (unbeknownst to me) a huge thing in the weight loss community but can apply to financial sorcery equally well. Basically, set point theory is the idea that we all have this range where we're comfortable. If we get out of range in a bad way, we're going to move heaven and earth to fix it. If we get out of range in a good way, we'll likely sabotage ourselves to get ourselves back into our comfort zone. With money, this translates into if you make less than what you're comfortable with, you'll do anything to make more. If you make more than your comfort zone, you are unlikely to do anything of use with it, you'll probably blow it all on pixie stix and blow jobs. See: rappers and atheletes.
This blew my mind because this is exactly what I have been doing for the last year or so. I had an additional income stream that was substantal. I figured between my day job, writing and crafting along with this other income stream that I would really get ahead of my bills. Finish paying down my consolidated credit cards ahead of time, maybe put a little away into a mutual fund. What have I been doing the last year? Blowing it mostly. Granted my expenses went up when my car died ahead of schedule and I needed to get a new one. But honestly? I couldn't even tell you where it's gone.
And now it's dried up due to circumstances beyond my control that have nothing to do with me directly.
This sucks for a lot of reasons - I'm getting married in September and I was counting on this money for some unpaid time off and misc wedding expenses. Not to mention from a security standpoint it was a really good blanket. I make enough right now to support myself without but when things go wrong like say my refrigerator dying and having been dead for the last two weeks with the new refrigerator being on backorder (we got a loaner that's being comped and delivered tomorrow [I didn't know loaner fridges existed or I would have demanded one sooner], probably due to my psychotic screaming in the background when Jow spoke with them), it sucks.
I'm tired of my set point. I'm tired of making do. I'm tired of limiting myself and I'm tired of not getting ahead. I also have things I want to accomplish in my professional life that
What does one do when one realizes this and is completely freaking out about finances? Go on a magical shopping walk about apparently.