Living below your means isn’t always the easiest thing to do. The temptation to buy is everywhere. Whether it be advertisements on TV, Google search, your favorite apps, or friends and family, it’s hard to get away from the temptation to buy. Heck, that’s the whole point of the entire advertising industry, getting you to buy things. For example, if I search for a product on my favorite online marketplace, I am bombarded with advertisements for said product or similar products on all my searches as well as social feeds within hours. And guess what? If you can’t afford it, who cares! It’s easier than ever to make payments. So yeah, the temptation to buy is greater than it’s ever been. But don’t give in at the expense of your peace of mind.
Living below your means can be a challenge
It’s not just the advertisers that are out to get your money. It’s also your neighbors, friends, and family. Wait a second, my neighbors? Ever hear of keeping up with the Joneses? Yeah, it’s a real thing. Maybe your neighbor buys a new car, which gets you thinking maybe it’s a good time for you to buy a new car as well. Or maybe someone in your family gets a new phone and shows off all the new features, prompting you to consider upgrading your own. Heck, maybe it’s your significant other falling prey to the temptation and they are trying to get you to buy into their new splurge. Don’t give in if it detracts from your peace of mind.
Protect your peace of mind
What do I mean by that? For starters, if you’re in debt and your debt either keeps you up at night or has you double thinking about your purchases, you probably shouldn’t give in. It’s very easy to buy something now and worry about paying it off later. But guess what? Later eventually comes and that bill needs paying. So if you’re not worried about it now but usually have concerns about it later, best to avoid the worry altogether and skip the purchase if it’s not a necessity. You’re doing yourself a favor.
Living below your means gives you the ability to control your peace of mind. Trust me. I can’t even begin to tell you how many sleepless nights I spent worrying about how I was going to pay off $40,000 in credit card debt. Frivolous spending habits, the inability to avoid temptation, and piss-poor financial planning put me at the brink of a financial meltdown. And you know what the crazy part is? I look back on all those terrible financial decisions and wonder how stupid I could have been to go down that path. As they say, it’s all 20/20 in hindsight. That doesn’t mean you have to take my path to financial damnation just to look back and realize you made the wrong decisions. Take it from me, I’ve done the looking back for you!
Is this something I need or want?
So if you’re in debt and looking to splurge, ask yourself if you really need it. Ask yourself if this purchase will help you get out of debt so that you can restore your peace of mind. The day I made the final payment on my credit card was one of the happiest days of my life. Isn’t that just fucking pathetic? My happiest day was finally paying off debt. But it was. That’s the kind of shit situation I was in. I was almost buried alive but managed to dig myself out before it was too late. So please, if you’re in debt and worried about paying it off, don’t be like me. Don’t allow your problem to balloon into a nightmare that you can’t wake up from. Take control and start living below your means.
I think I have things under control
And here’s a little food for thought. There was a time when I thought I had it all under control. I’d buy things by throwing them on my credit card because you know, I had no problem paying the bill. But that bill slowly got bigger and bigger. Now, of course, there were times when I thought, wow, I should pay this down. But guess what? I had it under control. Eventually, I had to start putting in more hours to get the bills paid, but heck. What are a couple of extra hours a week if it gets me what I want? Soon enough that couple hours turned into 20—40 extra hours a week and me pawning off my possessions.
Don’t be like me. Control the situation while you can. Because I’ll tell you what. Losing sleep at night and questioning every purchase you make because you know it will add to the debt pile is a fucking miserable way to live.
How do I live below my means?
So what does living below your means entail? Your expenses should be less than your income. Put another way, your income should be greater than your expenses. If you spend more than you make, you’ve got a problem that needs fixing. Spend more than you make for a long time, and you end up with a big problem. You don’t want a big problem. So if any of these more than what you make scenarios sounds like you, take control of your spending.
Review your bank account. Look at every dollar that comes in and goes out. Maybe you have subscriptions you bought that you no longer use but you’re still being charged for. Cancel them. Maybe you’re paying for the fastest internet connection speed but could get by with a lower plan. Downgrade it. Or maybe you’re spending too much time dining out instead of cooking at home. Pull out the saucepan and get to work.
Take charge of your finances
Living below your means is a simple concept, but so many people fail at it. Don’t be like so many people. It’s really not that hard. All it requires is a change in your habits, some motivation, and a re-evaluation of what is really important. For me, it was my mental health. I got sick of the sleepless nights. I grew tired of the countless extra hours I was putting in at work. My circumstances became unbearable, so I made a change.
If you’re in a similar situation like I was in, just know that you can completely turn things around. If you think you’re at risk of ending up in a situation like I was in, change your course. Don’t let debt take charge of your life. Don’t let debt impact your happiness. We already have enough to worry about in this life. Live below your means. Take charge of your life. Start and be free!
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