We have lived through dark times. During the bubble years of growth in which was immersed the country has made us believe in a richness that really belonged to us. However, the reality today is very different and millions of families live in the midst of serious economic difficulties, not because they are unemployed, but because despite having revenues fail to stabilize their finances.With this article we will try to bring some light to those who are experiencing serious difficulties in making ends meet solvency. Also we analyze the culture of consumerism and propose some tips to avoid impulse buying and ordering our personal finances.
Consumerism
The culture of consumerism has led people to confuse the concepts of wealth and debt. Banks, meanwhile, have pushed citizens to fall into the trap services Market immediacy, pushing irrational consumption and to believe that “have more to be more”. Many forget that one is master of what you have and what to slave. Therefore, if you got something out of debt, you really have nothing more than a system of financial slavery. Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, said in his speech of July 15, 1979:
“In a nation that is proud of the hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, many of us tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what it holds. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming does not satisfy our search for meaning. We have found that stacking material goods can not fill the gaps of lives have no purpose.”
Tips to avoid compulsive buying
If you think within yourself you live with a compulsive shopper who drags you to a growing debt, perhaps they might be interested in the following tricks:
1. Ask the question: “Do I really need this?
When you’re at the window of the store that you like or against the irresistible item you wish to buy, you should think whether you really need that. Maybe you should fight impatience, immediacy and ask yourself if you really going to use it.
2. Do not bring up money or credit / debit card
Evita carry more money just enough to spend the day. Possession of an excessive amount of money could take you to an impulse buy. Most people can spend the day with 20 dollars in the portfolio without suffering any trauma.
3. Postpone purchases for the next day
Do not buy things at the time, post for the next day. As noted above, the immediacy can play you a trick. Good decisions are always meditate, do the same with your purchases.
4. Compare the prices of all items
When in fact need to buy something should first get at least 3 different from what you’ll buy quotes. The price of a car, for example, can range up to 2,000 dollars from dealer to dealer.
5. Save instead of debt
The debt is always more expensive. The human being is moved by impulses and financial agencies and marketers know. Do not be fooled by that precious plasma TV you can pay in ten easy installments without interest. Save and buy it when you have the amount of money raised, ever. If you join several small debts of 50-60 dollars per month, they are transformed into a huge debt that unnecessarily decrease your personal finances.
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6. Use cash, no cards or other payment methods
The concept of money is abstract. With the use of cash are you materialize this concept so abstract, you feel your touch, your weight and you resplendence him. Try to make the monthly purchase of 200 dollars in your usual supermarket with cash and notice how the sense of loss is stronger.
7. Stay away from shopping as much as possible
Until you achieve inner healing and discover the reasons that force you to buy impulsively, stay away from shopping as much as possible. Avoid the malls and look for honest people with wisdom that can help you overcome the problem.
Sorting disorderly accounts
There is the case where personal finance problems are not due to problems with compulsive shopping addiction and debt, but it is simple and pure disorder as a result of never having learned to manage money in a systematic way. The paper clutter in a person without addiction obey the person does not know his habits, has not reviewed the numbers. Here are some tips:
Pay your debts, it will give you peace of mind
If you have to sacrifice 10-20% of your salary to pay unnecessary debt that’s too high and are on the verge of personal financial unsustainability. You should avoid all unnecessary spending until you get to pay your debts.
Use a notebook and record every expense
Looking for a pocket notebook and always take it with you. Write down every day every expense you have, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Create categories (food, leisure, housing, clothing, supplies, vehicle …) and calculates the totals. So get your costs structure to determine which are unnecessary.
Make a budget
At the beginning of the month takes a budget that details all your fixed expenses. Away that money and do not use it except to pay the appropriate account. Also included in the budget variable expenses and learns to estimate them to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Avoid unforeseen expenses
Sometimes, unforeseen expenses, however small they may be, often because of imbalances in your person economy. Try to avoid them, and if not possible, always keep a small savings to cope.
Evita “small expenses.”
No expense is small. Sometimes, you avoid buying a valued one in three dollars to save paper, and suddenly you find another article of 50 dollars which is discounted half price and shopping. Marketing agencies know that “the important thing for the customer is not how much, but how much is saved”. It’s a trick used to fool the human mind into thinking it is a “small” expense when it is not.
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Live poor saving instead of living as poor pay
If you live like a poor saving you will notice that everything is cheaper. Indebted poor Everything is more expensive and lives with anguish because the bank never loses. Borrow from the bank’s pact with the devil, an ephemeral pleasure that does not justify a long stay in hell.
Control daily spending limits
Suppose that after setting aside the accounts must pay monthly and a provision for contingencies your spare 300 dollars. In a 30-day month that means you can spend 10 dollars per day. If today we have exceeded and you spent 15 dollars, tomorrow you can only spend 5. If you can spend less than 10 dollars a day you will begin to save.
Leave a contingency reserve
When you pay your salary, an amount aside and imagine that you do not have that money. Depending on your financial possibilities and your own discipline you can start with 5-10% of your salary. Use this book only in cases of dire need to address contingencies (a fine, vet bill, car repair …)
Do not accept the advice of banks
Banks will always tell you what’s best for them to spend your money. Remember the words of Paul A. Monserrat in Bran and Believe it without question. The bank is not your friend. The bank never will come to your rescue.There are many other tricks to align your personal finances and avoid unnecessary hardship, but you can start here. Take it easy, stress-free, and note that it is difficult to change the behavior of a person overnight. Set goals and stick to them. Do not forget that it is not the richest who has more, but who needs the least.
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