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At the height of their financial distress, the Hamiltons came to Money Mastery for help. Their coach, Peter, began working with hem to figure out exactly how they were spending their money. As e sat at their kitchen table finalizing an overall picture of their pending habits and counseling them on how they would need to start utting back, the Hamilton’s 16-year-old daughter came home asking for money.

“We had just finished talking to Peter about the huge financial mess we found ourselves in when Katie* came home,” says Sally. “She anted $5 to go with her friends to McDonalds. Dinner for that night as cooking on the tove. I had a roast and vegetables waiting to erve my family after we finished our session with Peter, and Katie anted extra money to go out with her friends. Doug and I looked at eter and then at Katie and all I could say was ‘We can’t afford it katie.’”

“She looked at me like I was crazy,” says Sally, “and started arguing with us and coaxing and claiming that $5 was not going to break us. he said she couldn’t understand why we were making such a big deal ut of her asking for money. ‘C’mon Mom, be serious, it’s only 5.’ What she didn’t know was that Doug and I had just been made to ealize that we literally didn’t have $5 to give her because of the ay we had mismanaged our finances throughout our entire marriage. continued to explain that dinner was already prepared and that she couldn’t go to McDonalds, but she wouldn’t stop rguing. Doug tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t listen. Finally, he said ‘Mom, you’ve never told me “no” before!’ and lammed the door in a huff. After she left, I turned to Doug and Peter nd said in astonishment ‘Gosh Peter, that’s our problem. . .we ust can’t say no, can we?’”
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aken from : Money Mastery “10 Principles That Will Change
Your Financial Life Forever