What a year 2017 has been ! Mine has been
up and down like a yo-yo but with victories being prevalent I’ve decided that
this is life for now, not forever. If getting those victories means I have to
deal with different problems for awhile then everything is working out for the
better. Momentum might just get me a homer. Well, it’s easier to go with that
rather than focus on bad stuff which will eventually just work itself out,
anyway. My mother’s influence was always positive and she very seldom became
unhinged over anything. Positive thinking and living is the better way. Also, Mom always said, “Whatever everyone else
does- you do the right thing, anyway.”
My greatest victory this year was
defeating debt that looked impossible to surmount through 2015 and 2016. That
is a big sigh of relief you just heard in the background. My rule of thumb has
been never to get into more debt than you can pay off on any given month. It
may sound strange to some but building credit is just as important as clearing
the deck of finances. Having a good credit rating is akin to having those lines
of credit with the bank. Those are good to have but generally a bit low
especially for the needs of an average homeowner today. If you wanted to start
a business, would you be able to finance it with the type of credit that is
available to you?
I have had clients tell me they have filed
bankruptcies with a gleam in their eyes like they got away with something.
Nothing could be further from the truth, however. Just wait until they
desperately need a loan or have to do something drastic like mortgage their
house because of an emergency! The perceived risk factor by the potential
creditor may put you into such a high interest rate that it could put you in
the red for the rest of your life. And that’s if you get such a break because bankruptcies are usually
anathema to creditors. Any credit counselor will tell you that because it’s
true.
There is no worse feeling than knowing
that you worked as hard as you could only to find that because you made bad
financial decisions there is no way out of a rut. I can certainly testify to
that because I have spent most of my life literally working on clients hand and
foot! The only creditor who will esteem your hard work is yourself- i.e. do you
give yourself credit? - and maybe a friend or two. So your financial decisions
are crucial to your life and livelihood in the long term. You may win the PCH
sweepstakes but if you make financial decisions based on those suppositions you
could really get yourself in a bind. You may as well gamble with loaded dice in
Vegas!
Being realistic, prioritizing the needs
from the wants and plain old budgeting will back up your hard-earned cash.
Being thrifty, couponing and going for the discounts on your i-phone also help
but if you put too much or too little on your credit card you’re missing out on
the best way to get control of your finances in a very real way. Only
multimillionaires and billionaires can spend money like there’s no tomorrow.
All those making $12,000 or less per year better learn their math and how to
budget especially if you’ve started to spend money in an adult fashion. Your
future financial status depends on it.
The Castle Lady
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