Contributed by Allison M.
Are you in debt? Are you living above your means—spending more money then you earn? It isn’t necessary and not as complicated as you think to live within your means. It is a matter of changing your way of thinking about money.
- What is your definition of rich? Is rich having a giant home, a new car every year, a killer wardrobe and vacations to foreign lands? Is that what really makes you happy? Or does the stress of paying for it all make you unhappy? What is it that makes you happy? Are you appreciating it all? Your current home, your family, your friends, everything you have built so far? True wealth is in what you have that brings you happiness, not what you can buy.
- Do not shop for entertainment. Is your idea of fun going to the mall? There must be something else you can do. Go to the park. Entertain at home by renting a movie with friends or having a potluck. Going shopping for fun can be dangerous for your wallet.
- Skip the magazines. Do you devour fashion magazines? All of those ads are specially designed to create desire within you to purchase the product. The usual result—you feel your life is not good enough as it is so you need to buy a new top. I felt my inadequacies disappear when I unsubscribed from fashion magazines and they reappear whenever I flip through one. Avoid advertisements as much as possible.
- Reduce your tasks. A lot of time is wasted doing errands and running around. Do you really need to do all this extra work? What if you sat back and relaxed? Go through your obligations and see which ones you can ditch. Instead of driving your kids everywhere, talk with other parents and car pool; arrange for one parent to drive all the kids home once a week. Then one day it’s your turn. You will have extra time and save money on gas.
Learning to appreciate what you have and give up the idea that you ‘need’ to buy things to make you happy is the first step to learning to live within your means.
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