As we trudge through our global financial upheaval, I find myself mentally listing things I can be grateful for:
1) The last time I had a new car to pay for was 1983, and I probably won't own one again
2) I have never found it necessary to own an SUV
3) I don't have a cell phone - just a prepaid phone for emergencies; no one has my number
4) I haven't found it necessary to own an ipod, a big-screen TV, name brand clothing
5) Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in making things out of discarded items
6) I dislike shopping
7) I prefer home cooking to fast foods
8) I prefer to stay home rather than travel
9) I don't like to carry large credit card balances
10) I am an optimist, so I tend to believe that things will improve with time
Does all this make me 'odd'? Well, others may think so, but over the years I came to recognize that 'things' don't make me happy. I also found that I sleep a whole lot better when I'm not tossing and turning, trying to figure out how to get out from under a mountain of debt.
My brother died back in 1987, and left my sister-in-law with over $11k in credit card debt. Funny thing, he really didn't know what all he had purchased to add up to that much. That gave me a wake-up call, and I began to pay more attention to my expenditures. My main reason for having a credit card is to handle emergency expenses, like car repairs or items purchased that are more money than I have available at the time to pay for it. But I also make large payments to pay off the balance as quickly as possible.
My hope is that the parents of today's children will teach them how to manage their money, how to budget, and how to get through life without having to buy everything they see advertised! We are a nation of consumers who have totally lost control, and it's time we all came to our senses and started saying 'no' to endless buying! Washington might not think that's the best idea, but I sure do...
1 comment:
I think this era hearkens back to the 1920's...eat, drink and party...and then came 1929 and the 30's...then the war. We have been eating, drinking, and over-buying has been our party, living on debt, living above our means. There had to come an end to it, but who knew the banks were loaning all that money to people who couldn't pay? I didn't..it never crossed my mind that that was going on...especially since I wasn't doing it..and not asking the banks to do it. We only borrowed what we felt we could afford and still be givers with our money...that means we didn't borrow up to that line the banks said we could on our income level. Our house is now paid off...and it sure feels good. Of course, I don't think I can attribute that to our own efforts...I received an early inheritance, but that is how we chose to use it...to pay off the house, so now we are sitting pretty in these economic times.
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