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People should be wise about their finances, educating themselves and always be evaluating those areas where they may be living above their means. For some this may be a lifelong learning process.
Living paycheck to paycheck, carrying credit card balances, having no emergency fund, not planning for the future, paying overdraft fees, buying or paying for stuff one cannot afford are all signs of living above one's means.
Credit cards and loans allow people to buy more things than their income will allow. That kind of lifestyle is not sustainable.
Eventually this type of lifestyle will catch up with a person. The interest payments made to credit card companies will eventually take the majority of their income leaving no money for essentials.
Instead, imagine a lifestyle where people seek to live on the income they make. For it fosters in many people a resourceful attitude, learning to become creative if necessary, which will ensure the financial safety net needed to survive.
Many of my readers are currently living within their means. If you're not one of them, I encourage you to educate yourself and learn just how to do that.
There are so many resources out there for you to learn. My hope for you is that you will one day enjoy the peaceful life that comes without having financial worries. For it is a very worthy and achievable goal.
I love that quote by Calvin Coolidge.
ReplyDeleteTo achieve financial independence living well below our means is so important. I think every student must be taught this before she/he graduates from school. It's better if it's taught at home , but I think most adults also need the same lesson. :)
Very true, Nil. Many adults need the lesson as well. I think this should be taught in school as well. When I was in elementary school we had a class called Consumer Affairs. We made checks and paid bills, had a house and a job. It was a great lesson, which can be adjusted to today's times. I rarely write a check these days. :)
DeleteI think the book, Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich should be required reading. While living within your means and saving is wonderful and should be done, there is a level of poverty among the working poor making it virtually impossible to cover everyday expenses much less having an emergency fund. It is a very enlightening read and a way of life I hope I never have to experience.
ReplyDeleteI've read that book too, Anne. It is a good read. And I agree with you about the level of poverty among the working poor. It can be very difficult to make ends meet when you're struggling to survive each day. Sometimes hard choices have to be made, but the struggle is very real.
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