It is neither the governments nor the industries fault for why the economy is the way it is. There is honestly no one to blame but ourselves. We have caused are own economic headache. This past week I realized how much people disappoint me about these issues. I totally understand that we all have a home, family, medical and other bills to pay but where are we really investing are money. I pass by my neighbor’s house that has a sign stating it is owned by the bank and it is in foreclosure but then you see three fancy 45,000 cars parked at the front. Umm, seems a little off to me. People have forgotten what priorities are I guess brand new cars come before shelter for your family. It really upsets me when I see this because they know they don’t have the money to pay for their mortgage but then they go spend money on unnecessary things. When did people get confused with toys being more important than necessities? I have realized ever since this electronic world blew a couple years back that people are worried more about what phone they have rather than how they will pay for the phone bill at the end of the month. People need to learn to manage their money if they expect to make it out of this economic downfall. Money is extremely important to me because I was always surrounded by people that acted rich but always had an empty wallet with maxed out cards. Since I was a little kid I saved money, I always had a little hidden stash and when I wanted to buy something for someone I had the money to do it. Over years of watching people let go of their money, go bankrupt, lose their homes and cars, I have learned little tricks to always have cushion in pocket even in the hardest times.
My Advice:
- First, stop being lazy and stop whining for a problem you have caused.
- Calculate your monthly bills and your weekly bills.
- Track your expenses-
- NO EXCUSE! You can use a paper, pencil and a calculator or you can use those little fancy gadgets you invested in and take advantage of Excel or download an app that tracks everything for you.
- Don’t do groceries every week.
- Make a list and do groceries twice a month, majority of food will last a week and half. Major groceries only once out of those two times. This includes paper towels, water, canned food, etc. Things that last for a couple of months or more. At first it might seem like you are spending more but you always save more in bulk and save gas having to drive to the grocery store every week. Also use coupons they are there for a reason.
- Limit Going out
- Try going out to eat only once a week. We all deserve a night out to try new foods but remember this is a minimum of $15 dollars per person, this will add up. Use the internet not just for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, there are websites that provide coupons, discounts and dinner specials every week. Living social, Groupon, Retailmenot, the restaurant websites directly and sign up for email specials these are all great ways to do what you want with a budget.
- We all want nice things
- The best way to get that nice car, nice house, that long cruise or vacation to Italy is to save. I know it’s hard. But you can do it. The best recommendation is save cash; don’t use a savings account for this. Because if you see the money you will spend it. It is a lot easier to swipe a card than to hand someone a $100 dollar bill. If it is hard for you at first start with small bills, put $10 dollars every week and then continue to increase how much you put every month. Then when you are ready for that toy, the money will be their ready. Another little tip, when you feel like spending money calculate how much your spending by how much you get paid in an hour. This always works for me and prevents me from making unnecessary silly purchases. For example let’s say I make $15 an hour and I want to buy a $45 dollar dress, it takes me 3 hard working hours to make that. When I do this it really makes me think about how much I really need this.
- Stop buying TOYS
- Electronics come out with a new design, software or model every couple of months. Buying the new one every time just to be cool is ridiculous and unethical. Buy things when you need it, take care of your things, and appreciate what you have. While you are saving in your piggy bank you can save extra money to get the best TV or the most efficient car. Do research and choose things that have better quality and life spam even if you spend a little more at least you will be anxious to buy new things.
- Extras
- Get rid of those extra things that=costing you unnecessary expenses. Get rid of cable and get Netflix more movies and listen to the radio or use the internet to hear the news. You honestly don’t need cable and it just makes you lazy and brain washes your mind. Turn off lights when you leave the room, buy energy saving light bulbs, wash once a week(not every day), if you can get rid of the dryer- ruins clothes, energy killer, and electric bill killer. We all have back yards and fans that we can use to dry are clothes. You would not believe how much you save just doing this!
I hope this has helped. I truly feel people need to get their acts together, start focusing on better futures and stop getting comfortable with what you have because you are not helping your families, kids, and the economy. We need to take the first step to become happier and debt FREE!
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