But when we look around at the financial world we have created today, a whole bunch of grown ups made decisions, often following the crowd, and have fallen off a cliff they did not see coming.
There are so many people driving a huge car payment because he is trying to look the get the girl, or signing large mortgages to keep up appearances. Not to mention the credit card debt because we need a new thingy and cannot say 'no'.
Being upside down, dodging creditors, or living in the red, is no way to live. When 45% of credit card holders pay the minimums, 1.5 million bankruptcies were filed last year, and financial problems are the leading cause of divorce; there IS a problem. These are the outward effects. Many people suffer from depression, anxiety or are suicidal when there is a perception of their financial picture goes terribly wrong.
I do not take this lightly, nor do I judge. I have personal familiarity with many of these situations. And I can say there is always a way out. There is a lot of information and tools out there. Learning to budget and practice discipline takes effort. But when you can take back the power in your life doesn't change make sense?
Dave Ramsey says, “Normal is broke”
I don't know about you but I don’t want to be NORMAL!
What would your life be like if there were no budget fires to put out and you had peace?
I think we should start a revolution.
Let's pay all our bills
Let's buy things when we have the cash to pay for them
Let's end shelling out extra on interest, late fees, and penalties
Let's take back our power
and reach out for help when we need it.
I am not suggesting we get angry at the institutions. That is not my purpose here.
I am suggesting we demand change from ourselves!
Radical Change! and NOW!
Jen you hit the nail on the head about this one. Cash is the way to go,the only way to go. So I chose to take my life back. Have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, cash is the way to go. I think more Americans should be informed of the impact credit cards can have. You pointed out very important issues, nicely stated.
ReplyDeleteThis is how my husband and I have lived before we even got married. Both of us have always been savers, even before we met. We have always agreed on financial issues which is the key to a happy marriage for sure! We've never paid a penny of interest on any credit cards, ever, because we pay them off every month, and we use only the ones that pay US for using them. We put money away faithfully every month like we have a car payment, but we don't, and that allows us to pay cash for the next one. We also paid off the house early and have always lived on just one paycheck, even when i was working, I never even cashed any of my checks, it all went directly into the bank. It blows my mind the way most people live today and that is what's wrong with our economy, everyone is in debt for stupid reasons! As long as we have the basics we are happy, and we sleep well at night with NO debt hanging over our heads. :)
ReplyDeleteThis hits home for me also. Many of my extended family members have lived beyond their means and are having quite a rough time now. Luckily, my mom has taught me to never buy something unless "you have the green money for it." I especially like your last line of this entry. Not having to worry about debt would definetely make people sleep better!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your stories! I think we need to be able to build community around these issues. I appreciate your support :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! Our society is one where so many people are broke because they have to have a big house or nice car and everything else when if they settled for a little less, they would have no financial troubles. I don't want to NORMAL either!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I don't want to be normal either, and so often we're obsessed with having what everyone else has. If that's debt, I'll pass.
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