Friday 14th October 2005 AD
"A LABOR EXCHANGE PROBLEM"

Mark was in a bind. He had three rapidly growing children, a couple of cars and a modest rented home in an average suburb. Once she had all three children in school, Julie had returned to university and was working hard to finish her studies in the hope that, when she finished her degree, she would score a well-paid job. But for now it was Mark's sole responsibility to get enough money through the door to cover the ever-increasing outgoings.

“Where does it all go?" Mark snapped frustratingly, "something always comes up." Each week Mark's hard labor would evaporate before his eyes; "unexpected car repairs, insurances, electricity, new shoes or clothes for the kids, schoolbooks, university fees, medical expenses, food, the list goes on and on."

Mark loves his family and wants everything for them, yet he was finding himself constantly tired, depressed, short tempered and sick of the work that he once enjoyed.

"It's not my family or the work" he confided to me in a desperate moment, "It's like something else I just cant explain." Kind of a dumb question, but one I had to ask, "are you managing save anything?" I inquired. "You've got to be joking" came the inevitable, almost annoyed reply. Right there was the root of his frustration and depression. Mark was experiencing a 'labor exchange problem'.

We have been looking at the seven Discipline to Save principles ~ in our next Daily Dig, Mark discovers number five; "The Discipline to Save PROVIDES TANGIBLE RETURN ON LABOR"

Best Regards - Philip Judge pjudge@anglofareast.com