You may not have noticed, but I’ve been on a “2012” kick this week, sharing our Year of Dating project and the “intentional living “resolutions Hubby and I made for the year.
And on Facebook, for the past few weeks, I’ve been talking about my organizational goals for the new year. In 2012, I want to be prepared.
For what? Well … just short of everything. Yes, everything.
Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
In our family, Hubby handles everything “serious:” finances, insurance, retirement, and all of the rest of the grown-up stuff like that. He works in the financial world and so all of these things are second nature to him. Not so much for Mama — to be perfectly honest, it all absolutely bores me.
Yeah … bores me. For the past seven and a half years, I’ve let Hubby handle all of it and make all of the decisions. And gladly.
But, a few months ago, it hit me: I am the mother of THREE.
And, if anything were to happen to Hubby …. I would be on. my. own. with THREE children.
That fact terrifies me. If Hubby died or became incapacitated, what would I do? I don’t know who handles our insurance … don’t know who to contact for help … don’t know how to access our safety deposit box. I don’t even know the name of our electric company.
And, that, fellow Mamas, is inexcusable.
Every Woman Should Know Everything About Her Family — Including the Finances
Sticking my head in the sand just because I don’t want to be “bored” could lead to nightmarish problems in the event of tragedy — nightmarish problems for my entire family. This is why I started working on a “Home Management Binder” several weeks ago.
The concept is not original — I have seen scores of them on various blogs I follow and, of course, they vary from family to family.
My Home Management Binder? It’s all about preparing ME to deal with an emergency.
I told Hubby I wasn’t going to be a blind and silent partner any longer and asked that he help me get acquainted with every facet of our lives: savings, debt, retirement plans, life insurance policies … the works.
Together, we are making contact lists, copies of policies, etc., to put into my binder. Bank accounts, bill-pay information and investments are also at my fingertips. Basically, this humble black book will be my “go-to place” … if ever I need it.
I also asked Hubby to create a list of who to contact if anything happened to him — something akin to the “emergency action plans” that were in place when I was still teaching. Just because I’m no longer in a corporate setting doesn’t mean I can’t approach emergencies with the same “here’s everything you need to know” plan in place.
I Will Be Prepared
I have also set up a “Home Maintenance” section of the binder; now, most people would put their cleaning schedule here and call it good. I want more — copies of warranties, information on our home insurance and mortgage insurance policies(handy things to have ready here in Houston thanks to our yearly hurricane seasons) … even the contact info of the maintenance companies my husband trusts and uses.
I want our physical home and our family life to function as smoothly with Hubby absent as it does with him here. And for that to happen, I have to know everything Hubby does.
My area of expertise can’t be relegated to just chores, kids, and food.
I have to know more. I have to be prepared to be Mom AND Dad.
p.s. Hubby? Please don’t go anywhere. I may have this binder in place but I still need you around. I promise.
This post was sponsored by Genworth Financial, providers of various types of insurance. Please visit them to learn what mortgage insurance is or to compare mortgage insurance. This post’s topic, verbiage, opinions, and reasons for choosing to be a “prepared Mama” are my own.
