The number one concern that most married couples has is money – and I haven’t met a couple yet that was concerned because they had too much of it. Money (or lack of it) is one of the leading causes of divorce in America today. The overwhelming need for financial security seems to be embedded in most people’s DNA. And yet we are a country of spenders.
If you really want to achieve financial security then have to learn to change your mindset. Ask anyone (with money in the bank and no debt) how they got to be where they are and they are likely to tell you that they didn’t spend what they didn’t have. Getting to a place where you feel secure is simple, but it is not always that easy. You will have to make some changes and think differently from before, but you can get to a place where you breathe easy when it comes to money.
1. Decide what is truly important in your life and then save for it. If you have to have the big house then work your way up by buying what you can afford first. If you want a new car then start setting aside what would have been the monthly payment for a year or two and then purchase your car with cash. It all comes down to patient choices. If you rush it, you will most likely regret it at some point.
2. Pay your savings before you pay anything else. Even if it’s just a few dollars each week, you have to get in the habit of saving money. As you grow accustomed to saving, you will find more ways to save and find that you are saving more money.
3. Do one more thing. If you already have a “regular” job then do one more thing to make some additional money. Clean out the attic and sell the items you don’t need or love (which are most of them since they were stashed in the attic). Divide the money into savings, debt reduction and just for fun. Make sure everyone in the family gets a little of the just for fun money.
4. See financial security in a new light. Having the safety net of a “regular” paycheck might be something that you have to have to feel secure in your finances. Learning that you can bring in money no matter what your situation or circumstances will get you beyond the normal walk of life and begin to lift you to the extraordinary.
5. Plan for your dreams. What would you do if you didn’t have to “make a living?” Find ways to make your dreams a reality and then begin to work in that direction.
The world and society has a particular way of determining financial security and it is an issue that each and every person faces at some point and time. Talk to your spouse and work to bring your understanding of financial security to a place you can both breathe easy.
February 19th, 2008
It was pouring down rain, I was running behind, there were errands yet to be run and I needed cash. My only bank branch was fifteen minutes out of the way. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and get cash back at the drug store after I picked out a few items.
I ran through the rain, ran through the store gathering up my wares and was at the register in record time. Then the trouble started. I swiped, but nothing happened. I swiped a second time and there was still no response. Now a line was beginning to gather behind me. “Um, it won’t take my card.” The lady behind me sighed loudly to be sure I understood her contempt for the situation.
“I’ll just swipe it back here.” The cashier snatched my card and had it through the machine before I could think.
“Oh, I need cash back.”
“I can’t do that now.”
“But I have to have cash back. It was the whole reason I stopped in the first place.”
The impatient (and now annoyed) woman behind me snapped, “Can they check me out in the back?” She had now been waiting in line for approximately 60 seconds. She spoke over me again to the cashier. “She could just go to the ATM.”
And here is where I wish I could just go back in time. If I could, I would turn to the rude woman behind me and smile politely. “No ma’am, I can’t just go to the ATM. If I could just go to the ATM then that is what I would have done in the first place. But there are no ATM’s in this area for my bank and all the ATM’s in this area charge me two or three dollars just to use them. I’m extremely tight on budget at this point in my life and I don’t have an extra two or three dollars. I chose to stop at this store because I knew I could get cash back and I knew it wouldn’t cost me any extra to do it. I needed the cash to be able to stop at another store that only takes cash before it closes in just a few minutes. But seeing as how you are obviously in so much of a hurry that you don’t mind being cold, insensitive and rude to someone you don’t even know, I will gladly step aside and let you go before I work this out with the cashier.”
It would have been comforting to me to be able to say. But it isn’t what I said. Instead I just took my stuff, slithered out to my car, got out at the nearest ATM (in the pouring rain) and paid the fee (which meant cutting my budget for that week). The rudeness she threw at me threw me off.
Standing in that rain, I saw her drive past. It would have been easy to throw a few curses her way (and to mean them), but I wasn’t going to let her steal my joy on top of my two dollars. The world is always looking for ways to make people miserable. It’s too easy to fall into their trap. Instead of being effected by the negatives of the world, stay focused on the good, the positive, and the uplifting and you will be able to rise above any person or situation that comes your way.
Still, it would be nice to have a time machine in situations like this.
February 19th, 2008
