?Living Beyond Your Means ??" A Very Common Trend
Have you ever written a check for something that you knew you didn't have the money for? People do that more than you think. They play the game of "robbing Peter to pay Paul". This is a common practice that can lead to debt and bad money management.
When you take a job, you are given a salary. The salary only changes if you get a promotion. For those that work an hourly wage, the amount of your check changes if you work more or less hours each week. Despite our paychecks being fairly consistent, people continue to spend more money than they earn.
Marketing and commercialism add fuel to the fire. We already have the tendency to want more than we can afford and to want it right now. Commerce makes that all too easy with offers of 12 months same as cash or no payments for 2 years. These kinds of offers make it so tempting to spend money we do not have. When the payments come due they are often impossible to handle.
Another danger is the misuse of credit cards. It is so easy to buy everything we want just by swiping that little card. However, we never factor into our monthly budget how we are going to pay for that purchase. We didn't have to give any cash away to get it and we don't even think about the expense again until the statement is due.
Often we are able to pay the full balance of the credit card when the statement is due so we pay only the required amount. That begins a horrible snowball effect that would stay with you for years to come. You may end up paying 10 times the amount for the item you purchased after the credit card interest grows over time.
We have to learn to be financially responsible or the debt situation will worsen. More people will file for bankruptcy or pay credit counselors to fix the debt problem. While these options are available to help those who have gotten deep into debt find their way out, far too few people take advantage of the help that is offered.
Credit cards have become the trend. It is acceptable for most people to have more debt than they could possibly pay. They are content to make the minimum payment amount each month and watch interest and continue to mound with no hope of paying the entire balance in the near future. This attitude leads to serious financial problems.
This vicious cycle will continue until we decide to make a change. If we continue to mishandle our money our children will learn to do the same thing. And credit card companies are happy for the trend to continue as they rake in huge interest charges and fatten their pockets.
When you take a job, you are given a salary. The salary only changes if you get a promotion. For those that work an hourly wage, the amount of your check changes if you work more or less hours each week. Despite our paychecks being fairly consistent, people continue to spend more money than they earn.
Marketing and commercialism add fuel to the fire. We already have the tendency to want more than we can afford and to want it right now. Commerce makes that all too easy with offers of 12 months same as cash or no payments for 2 years. These kinds of offers make it so tempting to spend money we do not have. When the payments come due they are often impossible to handle.
Another danger is the misuse of credit cards. It is so easy to buy everything we want just by swiping that little card. However, we never factor into our monthly budget how we are going to pay for that purchase. We didn't have to give any cash away to get it and we don't even think about the expense again until the statement is due.
Often we are able to pay the full balance of the credit card when the statement is due so we pay only the required amount. That begins a horrible snowball effect that would stay with you for years to come. You may end up paying 10 times the amount for the item you purchased after the credit card interest grows over time.
We have to learn to be financially responsible or the debt situation will worsen. More people will file for bankruptcy or pay credit counselors to fix the debt problem. While these options are available to help those who have gotten deep into debt find their way out, far too few people take advantage of the help that is offered.
Credit cards have become the trend. It is acceptable for most people to have more debt than they could possibly pay. They are content to make the minimum payment amount each month and watch interest and continue to mound with no hope of paying the entire balance in the near future. This attitude leads to serious financial problems.
This vicious cycle will continue until we decide to make a change. If we continue to mishandle our money our children will learn to do the same thing. And credit card companies are happy for the trend to continue as they rake in huge interest charges and fatten their pockets.
About the Author:
Tire of barely keeping up with your credit card payment? Get some simple credit card tips on the Debtopedia website. Visit http://www.debtopedia.com for a free copy of my "Secrets Of Credit Card Debt" report.
posted by Credit Counseling at
2:53 AM
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