By My Side.

In an effort to spend time together during the week, my partner J and I will work side by side. Tonight I'm trying to finish a presentation for class and he is reworking our financial plan in an effort to pay off our debt four months earlier then planned.

Now some of you may think I'm absolutely bonkers for taking on debt, or rather, treating J's debt as mine.

"He got himself into this debt, he is a big boy, he can get himself out."

"You need to be focusing on yourself and your kids."

"He could just up and leave you and you'd have nothing to show for your investment."

If you know anything about me, it should be that money means very little to me. I happily live on the basics and find cheap, crafty ways to beautify my world. That said, lately I've had a steady income which I have been using to invest in my children and in J. I love J, we plan on getting married someday. Frankly, I don't want to marry a guy who is in debt or is financially inept. Been there, done that! I am just not prepared to settle on that one again.

I grew up in a home that budgeted every penny. I grew up earning everything I wanted. I tell my money where it needs to go, that is my normal. I am recently finding out that a lot of people didn't grow up budgeting and instead of being taught about saving for things, many people have been taught to buy it on credit. America, the land of instant gratification and insane national debt.

The way my partner tells it is that he was talked into a lot of his debt, or as he likes to call it his "stupid tax." The cause of the debt is neither here nor there as long as he owns up to having made poor choices and is intent on never making the same mistakes again. He definitely has learned and I see his intensity everyday, which makes helping improve his situation my pleasure. Then again, I'm the kind of person who believes in improving the world one person at a time.

I had to first focus on improving myself. If the only thing constant is change, consider me extremely consistent. I am continuing to improve my children's future by investing in their college savings, which leaves me able to improve the next closest person to me, a man who equally looks out for my well being. J has stepped up for me and has been my hero quite a few times. When we talk about when we're debt free and what we plan to spend our money on, it normally involves helping others, giving to homeless, and investing in properties for people trying to get back on track. If we don't end up getting married, even if we break up, I will never regret improving this man's quality of life because I know the good that will come from it. I am happy to report that our relationship has never been stronger, things are going according to plan. J is definitely worth the investment and I couldn't imagine anyone else by my side.