by Jill Cooper
We Americans are proud of our freedom and our opposition to tyranny and slavery, but because of lack of self discipline, most of us are not free at all. We are enslaved by our emotions and our debt. Most of us would never consider agreeing to become indentured servants and yet, by our own lack of self discipline, many of us have sold ourselves into slavery. Have you ever thought about the fact that indentured servants usually had to work 7 years for their freedom and people who claim bankruptcy have black marks on their credit for 7 years?
By now all those well meaning New Year’s resolutions have flown out the window, but don’t despair: all is not completely lost. Here are a few money saving tips and ideas that will get you back on track, save you money and will actually work.
You say “But I don’t know where to begin.” Just begin. Don’t over-think it. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that you have to stop spending more then you earn.
Have you ever told your child to go pick up the toys in their room only to have them start whining and crying, “But I don’t know what to do.” It’s frustrating to hear that in a child because you and I both know an eight year old knows he’s supposed to put his toys away and his dirty clothes in the hamper. He just doesn’t want to do it. That whining and excuse making in an adult is even harder to take. As in a child, it’s just an excuse to get out of doing something we don’t want to do. Stop spending more then you earn.
Stop living a life of fear. Remember if you’re an American you live in the land of the free and the home of the BRAVE. There are two things that always amaze me. The first is grown adults that cower before a child a quarter their size and who is throwing a fit while demanding to buy a toy. The second is to watch a grown adult cower when looking at a desk or table piled with papers and bills. It’s just a bunch of paper, not a snake that is going to reach out and bite you. Be brave and start dealing with the papers and bills. Get them in order. Yes you may have to face some mistakes and things you don’t want to think about, but do it anyway. Then get on with your life. Learn from your mistakes and don’t make them again.
Here are a few suggestions to get that overwhelming pile of papers under control:
Quickly look at each paper and lay it into one of these 4 categories:
-
TRASH - Throw out and/or shred immediately.
-
FILES - Put in a box and set by file cabinet to sort and put in order some other day.
-
BILLS - Sort them in order by the date that they are due. If things are really out of control write down a list of all your bills and how much you owe. This will help give you a reality check of where you stand with your bills. You need to be brave and honest with this.
Using some common sense, start paying those bills. Pay your bills first. For a while, that may mean you have no money left for fun and entertainment, but that is the sacrifice you make for freedom.
-
CORRESPONDENCE - Put correspondence in a pile. Read and deal with it after you have your bill pile out of the way.
It’s time to get angry and say enough is enough. I will no longer be enslaved and start fighting for my freedom from debt, even if my biggest enemy is myself!
Money Management is a 72 page e-book designed to help you say goodbye to debt! Packed with lots of stories and advice, this e-book is an essential tool for your Debt Elimination Kit.
Money Management includes the story of how Michael and Tawra paid off $20,000 debt on $22,000 per year income.
the reward.
