I have won the lottery. I’m male, white, employed, living in a developed country and my wife has just given birth to the light of my life. We are all well, happy and free from flooding, drought and bushfires. We are also average Australian income earners, which means we are very rich on world standards. So much of the rest of the world cannot enjoy the simple things that we are currently experiencing. Really, what are the chances of having all those boxes ticked in a world with over 6 billion people?

You might be reading this and noticing that you can also tick most or all of those boxes too, but, unlike me you may not feel like a lottery winner. One of the things that allows me to feel so good right at this moment is that my wife and I are able to focus on and enjoy our little bundle of joy without worrying about money. We have just gone to one income (we’re getting a bit of help from the new Paid Parental Leave Scheme) and our expenditure has increased. But that doesn’t worry us at all.

Sorting out your finances gives you the feeling of winning the lottery, especially when it allows you to forget about money worries and the ability to take heaps and heaps of photos of the most gorgeous little face you’ve ever seen.