Now that I have been a parent for 7 years, I have come to learn the truly essential tools that should be in every parent’s toolbox. The one I want to share today is simply tape. Take your pick, since most any tape will do the trick, but my two go-tos are Duct Tape and Painter’s Tape. I already know where your mind is going and as much as good sturdy tape could be used as an excellent behavior modification tool 😊, I’ve found it just as handy in many other ways. Let’s start with the Painter’s Tape and how every fifteen minutes there is a picture, painting, printout and Valentine’s Day card that just HAS TO go up on the wall. Its lifespan on the wall is likely to be less than two days and Painter’s Tape works like a charm despite its kind of steep price tag. Crisis averted, for now. Next, it’s a Saturday afternoon and that magic fairy wand just broke at the handle only 8 hours after purchase. Break out the purple Duct Tape and patch that wand back together! Crisis averted, for now. Before being a parent, I’ll be honest in that I never gave tape the credit it is clearly due. It’s only now that I see how something so basic and fundamental can help get me out of a pickle on so many occasions.
Your financial house needs the same kind of tools in order to hold together. The closest tape comparison I can come up with is simply savings. Having savings, whether it’s your high yield savings as Painter’s Tape that is there to hold you over for the next couple of days, your IRA/401k as Duct Tape that exists to help build a durable long term foundation, or even your basic checking account as Scotch Tape that is always nearby and handy, but isn’t there to provide support for the long term. All these forms of savings are equally important and needed for you to be successful in keeping your financial house in shape. As for my actual house, over the last 7 years I have also come to learn that all the tape on earth is not enough to keep it together, but I guess that magic fairy wand is all that really matters in the end.
Happy Friday!