[Editor's Note: This is an essay from one of the finalists in our scholarship competition. I have no financial relationship with any of the finalists, except the eventual winner, who will get a big check from WCI.]
Why My Wife Deserves This Scholarship
She's been cooking for four full years without beaters. She whips cream in the blender. She went through an entire pregnancy without purchasing any maternity clothes. We have six forks and four spoons. She hasn’t cut her hair in over a year. And there have been many times when she’s awakened at 3:30 am, carried our little boy to the car, and driven me to the hospital for a rotation, so she could have the car for a day.
This may sound familiar to many medical students. We all know what it's like to be poor. But if you were to ask my wife why she still hasn't purchased beaters, maternity clothes or a car, her response wouldn’t be, “We don't have the money.” Rather, she would say, “It's not in the budget.”
You see, before we even got married, she sat me down, pulled up a Google spreadsheet and said, “Here’s my budget. Where’s yours?” I thought she was joking, but after about 30 minutes she was still talking about it. As she went on and on about the importance of living on a budget and how fun – yes, fun – it can be, I just kept thinking, ‘I'm a single dude in college living off Top Ramen and chocolate milk. Why do I need a budget?’ Luckily, I didn't say that out loud. If I had, I can almost guarantee I’d still be living on Top Ramen and chocolate milk.
I'm not sure where my wife got her passion for budgeting, but it's a part of her. In one of her childhood journals she wrote, “When I get married, I hope I'm poor. That seems like a happy life to me.” If you don't believe me, stop by and I'll show you the page.
We make a pretty good team, my wife and I. She does all the budgeting, she pays all the bills, she takes care of all the insurance, and then she tells me what I can and can't buy. It works for us.
I distinctly remember calling her one day when I was studying for the MCAT and asking if I could buy a candy bar. You better believe she pulled up the budget to make sure the money was there.
So maybe it seemed a little controlling at first, and maybe I didn't completely understand why she had to be so precise about everything. And maybe sometimes I just wanted to throw caution to the wind and buy a Snickers bar. No questions asked. But over the last few years, I've seen what an incredible blessing it is to stick to a budget.
Let me explain. My wife and I were married six years ago. Two short years later, we welcomed our beautiful, budgeted boy into the world. Life was good. I was a dad, my girl was a mom, our little boy was perfect, and we’d been accepted into medical school. We were on our way to the life we’d always dreamed of.
Except for one thing. My wife had always dreamed of having a large family. Eight children, to be exact. So soon after we got our bearings with Baby Number One and before we entered into the craziness of medical school, we began trying for Baby Number Two. We really didn't think much of the negative pregnancy tests when we first started trying. Our little guy wasn't even 1 yet. But after about 14 months of trying, we decided to go see someone about it. Our OB/GYN was confident that there were no serious problems, and that we’d be expecting a baby “in no time.” But “no time” slowly turned into “no idea.” And “no idea” slowly turned into “I can't help you. Here is the number for an infertility specialist.”
That was a hard day for us, but we called the number and hoped for the best.
It took one appointment for the specialist to diagnose my wife with Lean PCOS – a common cause of infertility. But there was hope, the doctor said, because there was a treatment that had good success rates. A treatment that would cost us anywhere from $2,500-$15,000. Of the two new pieces of information, can you guess which one broke my wife’s heart more? Yep. The money.
So the first thing she did when we got home was look at the budget. Her worlds were colliding. How was she going to have a big family and not go into additional debt? I still remember sitting in the rocking chair, watching her on the sofa across the room, starring at the computer screen. After about an hour of silence, she said, “Okay. We have $6,400 to work with. Things will be even tighter and we’ll have to dip into our savings, but it will be worth it.”
I laugh a little bit every time I look back on that moment. Two days prior to that appointment she wouldn't let me buy a Junior Frosty on the way home. But on this day, she was able to find 6,400 extra dollars? I almost didn't believe her.
Today, as I write this essay, work on my applications to residency, watch a little college football, and listen to my wife rock our beautiful budgeted Baby Boy Number Two to sleep, I’m pretty happy. Happy and grateful for the lesson my wife has taught me.
Good habits can’t wait until you've made it. Good habits are the REASON you make it. My wife learned how to keep a good, consistent budget when she was young. And because of that, we’ve had peace of mind, we’ve been independent, and we’re debt-free. (Except for our basic medical school loans.)
But most important of all, we have the sweetest little guy sleeping upstairs – a gift of immeasurable worth.
I'm now a firm believer. Budgeting matters.
What did you do to save money in med school? How has budgeting affected your life? Are you the budgeter in your house? Why or why not? Comment below!
Wow, this was a fantastic essay. I applied for the scholarship myself and was a little upset that I did not get it, but this guy (actually his wife) is clearly deserving of it. Well done.
And your essay was excellent. Certainly top 10, perhaps top 6.
This one gets my vote. I liked #1 a lot, but this one is great.
#2 & #3 wrote med school entrance exam essays, and they worked when they applied to Medical school.
#1 and #4 were different. I like this finalist better then #1. I would love to see his wife get this money – and I would love to see the follow up after a few months have passed on how this money is spent.
She will not go out and buy new kitchen appliances, she won’t go out and get a hair cut.. instead she will take the money and invest it, prob in 529 plans for their kids, IRAs for themselves.. .but she will take the money, read the great information on this website and then use the money wisely – what a great way for the first Scholarship money to be spent!
Another outstanding essay. This will be a tough decision for the judges.
I would like to personally send this guy a case of Snickers bars!
Not snickers….Top Ramen and Chocolate milk.
Winner winner chicken dinner – with Ramen noodles, chocolate mild, and a Snickers for dessert.
Oops – hate typos.
This couple should reproduce their genetics and values into perpetuity. More budgeted babies, please.
It’s personal, it’s captivating, it’s real. But that’s not why this essay gets my vote. It’s because this couple embodies the principles of this blog. To you and your wife — way to go! — and here’s hoping for a budgeted baby girl to come along some day.
I think we have a winner 🙂
I think maybe next year we should have a “reader’s choice” award. It wouldn’t surprise me if readers voted a different winner than the judges.
Winner!
Don’t even want to read the 5th essay huh?
haha! Just did…#4 is the winner in my book.
This is the only one so far that doesn’t read to me like a carbon copy of a personal statement. Don’t get me wrong, the others sound like amazing people, and maybe I’m a curmudgeon, but it seems like you should have to write something new to get a $12k scholarship…
I agree with most of the above. #1 and #4 are my top two thus far. Looking forward to #5
What a great essay! This gets my vote so far. Sir, your wife is a winner.
Great essay. Personable. Demonstrates the need and essay is a good argument for deserving it. What an awesome couple. Either way, they have already won.
Winner so far, and 5 better be great to top it.
No contest. This one gets it, and like the first commenter, I’m happy to lose to these 2.
This essay really embodies the principles on this blog. And it doesn’t read like your typical school entrance essay. I loved it!
I have to say decision to make 8 kids was definitely not a budget friendly decision. Considering you end up spending 500K on each for education and upbringing that would have been 4 million in cost.
I waited to post anything until I’d read all 5 essays. This one takes the cake for me. This is the kind of attitude and discipline I aspire to. Congrats to this student and to his wife on getting things right from the start.
Like other readers I waited to real all 5 essays. Incredible stories and inspirational people, no doubt. But #4 gets my vote. Truly stands out. Captivating story, engaging and well-written.
This is my winner. No doubt. This couple is doing it right.
I waited to read all 5 before picking a favorite. They were all good but this one is the best!
I vote for Guest Posts from these two!
I might get crucified for this, but has this guy learned anything about budgeting or does he just have to ask permission every time he wants something. Please don’t get me wrong, if he wins I will be happy for him, more happy for his wife.
But a budget should be something you both know and if you are constantly being told yes or no by a higher power it will rarely work long term, unless you are extremely passive. I’ve seen this in some relationships that are close to me.
But on a happier note, good luck with the family, you will do great!
I know this is a late reply, but you should consider the “asking permission” part of this essay as thematic more than realistic. Obviously, this guy understands budgeting, but it sure makes a better essay to mention asking for permission to buy a Junior Frosty. Great essay, well-written, perfectly suited for this blog!