My friend sent me this article from asiaone, 35 and flat broke, and we had this conversation over lunch today. He was shocked that couple earning $17,000 a month, can be highly in debt and eventually broke. Someone once said, it is not how much you make that matters, it is how much more you can save that is important. As we are going to have a new batch of graduates joining the workforce in a few months time, I thought I will share my 2 cents on this. One's financial journey starts the moment you join the workforce and if you don't make silly financial mistake along the way, you will be much better off than those characters mentioned in the article.
With the social media and internet, there are too many temptations trying to make you spent your dollar. Whenever there is an urge to buy something, have a cooling period, delay the purchase for 2 weeks and you might realized that you don't really need it after all.
Credit card is another culprit, as most of them who is in debt actually lose control over the use of credit card. It is the convenience and without realizing it, the limit has been blown. One of my colleague only has 1 credit card, and that is probably a good way to curb the urge of over spending.
If you are really in debt, you have to recognize that you have this problem and try and get back your financial to a healthy state again. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to this, and importantly to live below your means. Go read 'the millionaire next door', and you will know what I mean.
4 comments:
It is not the number of credit cards
It is the personal and family budgeting that counts.
It's about how not to succumb to temptations, with more cards, it's tempting to spend on the wants due to perks and rewards.
Yeap budgeting is important too
Before i made some money from stock market at the age 40 plus, we (my wife & i) couldn't remember we step into a restaurant for a meal. Though of course we did for wedding invitations and some social functions.
Even though we were DINK at that time.
We might be paranoid at that time of being afraid of getting into debt. We still do.
Maybe now not paranoid anymore but still has the fear.
With $17,000 income will most probably make us becoming a millionaire in a quicker time.
Not that i am now. Sorry.
Unfortunately we were ordinary wage earners.
But then who knows?
Who can tell?
If we really have $17000. income, we may be worse than them.
Our psyche may be different then.
Who can really know how each of our brain reacts to external "Stimuli"-The $17000 income/month.
i definitely can't say i won't be like them, can you?
if only i have $17000/month, then i will know.
Whether it's $2500 or $17000, it's about curbing the temptation to spend on the wants, isn't it ...
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