Affording or Providing

There's a big difference for me between asking myself whether or not I can afford to do something special for my family, and avering that I will provide the means to pay for that same something. One is a line of inquiry, the answer to which is found by examining the state of our resources as they exist outside of myself. The other is an assertion of power, the fulfillment of which is found by accessing the well of resources located within myself. No mean difference to a guy who has accepted responsibility to be the primary provider for a gang of five and is doing so in a less than stable, guaranteed manner.