Dear Lushu,
Consider this a
limited edition (!) single copy book for your eyes only, which I intend giving
you as a
wedding present
and hence the headline, "Moms In C-Suites"
.
The purpose of the
book?
If you’ve noticed, every fairy tale ends with,
“and they lived happily ever after.” Marriage is the end. And so most of us
marry thinking the same. We, or our parents, found us/ourselves a good ‘catch’
and now that we’re married, it’s the end. And so when we do get married, we
just bumble along. Coping becomes a problem and you are dependent on the advice
of women and friends who could be equally unqualified to advise you as they too
bumbled along their marriage (Yikes!), with no proper manual to help them
through. (Oh, dear!)
And after a few
months of studying your ineptitude to cope, you are severely criticized by the
elders in your marital home. Also, you may be not as qualified as the men and
so it is believed that you will be unqualified to handle money too, the
“don’t-worry-your-little-head” syndrome! Thirdly, you may be a graduate, why
even a post-graduate, working woman even, qualified to manage a team of hard
and mean horsesOR YOUR EYES ONLY,
so to speak, but nowhere do they teach you to be prepared to manage a family,
leave alone an office! (Egad!)
Last and not the
least, the nitty-gritty of marriages are so carefully planned --what to buy and
what not to, what the budget for the wedding is, but nowhere is anything said
about what to do after your marriage. How to budget the expenses, manage
the finances well, raise good children... you get the drift, don’t you? And
hence this book...
This book, not one
of its kind, though, is meant to enlighten the uncertain, bumbling bride, you,
to be a smart and savvy housewife. All women may not be stay-at-home moms, but
all women become wives at some point of their lives, when balancing home
finances and savings/investments become a problem. It is my hope that should
you need help and feel too embarrassed to ask, this book would point you in the
right direction. I hope to cover all aspects of life after marriage and really
hope you read (!) this book and find it useful. (Whoa!)
In
this book I have taken as an example, a bride who is or isn’t working and if
you aren’t working then whose husband is the sole earner of the house with an
average salary. Should your hubby earn more, what can I say, good for you! But
you could still use this book’s example (of an average income household) as the
base: still be prudent in your monthly
budget so that you have a little something more to spend on, you guessed it
right, shopping!!! (Heh, heh!)
And may I add, savings, as well?! (Oopsie!)
As
suggested elsewhere in the book, no matter what the salary of your husband,
keep the household budget tight, so that you have more to save and spend.
Today’s woman is
smart and savvy. She picks things up quickly and heads toward hitherto
uncharted courses to befriend and master.
This book is for one such woman – you!
Now that you’re
married, happy budgeting. And here’s looking to the savviest bride on this side
of the planet!
Good Luck and God Bless!
Love,
Ma
P.S. Treat this book as a friendly advice from a mother
to her daughter. Ultimately, you make your marriage work with the help and
blessings of your elders in your marital home. So by all means use this as a
base to start out with and then carry on the legacy, the traditions, of your
marital home. On no account should you overrule a decision or bypass a duty
because you have been taught differently by your parents.
Once again, Good
Luck and God Bless!
