Your Relationships vs. Your Money.

What sparked this topic was a question one of my girl friends asked me last week. Our schedules conflict and she wishes she could see me more often, but I have my work obligations to fulfill. She wanted me to take a day off for Halloween weekend and I told her that even though I'd love to, I can't pass up on making that cheddar.

Your relationships with your friends and family are obviously important. In a perfect world, that's all we would really have to worry about. With the way people's work schedules are nowadays; it leaves us precious little time for others, much less yourself. Face-to-face interaction has been decreased and really the only way I for example communicate with people often now is through digital means. However; one cannot afford to compromise their work schedule just to accommodate people. Don't get it twisted, my job I can technically make my own hours/own schedule but I need to be realistic. I make the most money on weekends. Am I gonna necessarily take a Saturday night off just to hang out with people if it's not a special occasion? No. If I hit up people to try and hang out on a Monday night at 9pm in the city to grab drinks and they have work the next morning, are they gonna come out? Most likely not, unless THEIR schedule allows for it. Your most meaningful relationships are with people who respect your schedule (and of course you overall).

Now to the question- what's more important, relationships or money? Long story short, what's one of the top things that strains relationships? Money (or the lack of it). Without having money to support yourself, how are you gonna be able to go out & have a good time with your friends? People that view it on the opposite side of the spectrum have a point. You can have all the money in the world but no one can travel the world alone for an extended period of time and feel whole. The thing is though, relationships come and go over time. The one constant is you and how you can sustain in the world..with money.

Not saying that I don't feel bad when people ask me out and I repeatedly tell them that I can't (and it's probably gotten to the point where people won't bother asking anymore) because I do. But your money is that, yours. You can't compromise it for other people unless you don't mind compromising yourself. And so on.