7. Why I Love the First of the Month

I won’t leave you hanging. I love the first of the month because that’s when most payments are due. Yes, you heard me correctly. I love to pay my bills. Why? In short, because I like the stuff.

It’s a tough life when the number on the calendar dictates your mood, confidence and ability to be your full self. I know because I’ve lived that way. When the month is broken into 3 distinct categories like this:

1. First 10 days: When most payments are made and your bank account seems to get smaller by the day.

2. Middle 10 days: When life is at its peak, accounts recover and breathing seems easier.

3. Last 10 days: When you know the blow is coming again, you stop doing fun things and joy is diminished.

At one time or another, we’ve all experienced this, know someone who has, or maybe we’re experiencing it right now. The reality is that life and bank accounts move in unavoidable cycles. Jim Rohn calls it the passing of the seasons. Winter hits on the first of the month, Spring rolls around 10 or so days later and before you know it, it’s Fall. But limiting peak performance, enjoyment and motivation to just one, maybe 2 seasons, is a fast way to live a frustrating life. We’ve got to enjoy every season, especially since that’s how life is actually designed.

I used to say I wanted to live with absolutely no monthly payments to avoid that terrible monthly rollercoaster. I worked at it, cut some costs, adjusted some services, but in the end I realized I had a decision to make. I could either eliminate monthly expenses like I wanted, or I could live a good life. Not both. That changes things. Eventually I came to realize that if I wanted the stuff, I had to pay, and I wanted the stuff (still do). No matter what your living scenario is, it’s going to cost you every month. Rent, mortgage and utilities to name a few necessary expenditures. Own your home outright? How about property taxes, maintenance or strata fees. Nothing is for free, so we need to stop wishing it was.