I swear there is a something in your DNA that determines whether you’re frugal or spendy. I definitely have the spendy gene. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing though. As they say, the first step is acceptance. Understanding yourself as a spender will let you build up an arsenal of tools to counteract that. And budgeting is a big part of that.
We have all heard stories of people losing life savings from investing in Enron or people who invested too heavily in dotcoms when that bubble burst in 2000. These are real risks that influence real dollars. It is irresponsible to jump into the market with both feet if you don’t know what you are doing.
So now that you are ready to just stuff your cash in your mattress rather than invest in the market, let me tell you about index fund investing.
As I thought about it, I realized that my dad, a sensible and frugal role model, passed on some rules that have served me very well. There was no decree posted to my bedroom door; it was the way he lived and spoke about money, which rubbed off on me.
People ask me about this rule of thumb fairly frequently because they want to check whether their housing spending makes sense. My response is nearly always the same, and comes swiftly:
An emphatic ‘I hate that rule!’
And I do. I hate that rule.
Don’t let boredom become an excuse to break your budget. Fun doesn’t have to come with a price tag or at the expense of your long-term financial goals.
No two lives are the same, and the amount of work get to a fixed destination is going to be wildly different as well. Your journey is different than every other persons journey.
It’s the small, intentional choices that really do make all the difference. As I’ve highlighted throughout this post, these seemingly marginal cost-saving techniques can help to save you thousands of dollars every year.
Living richly is about recognizing those things that make your life beautiful and happy, then figuring out how to do those things with the budget and time you’ve got.
Tons of so-called personal finance “gurus” advocate never going into debt, but for most people that’s simply not an option (and that’s ok).
Financial independence is one point in the timeline. That specific point that your passive income and investments can cover your expenses.
If you’re ruling your own kingdom and try to apply another king’s methods to your kingdom, it’s not going to work because your kingdom is different. Your kingdom is your finances.
I’m a firm believer that just because you’re trying to get out of debt, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. And
Right now, millennials are in our prime years for earning, saving and investing. For most of us, the next ten years or so of financial management are going to set the tone for the rest of our lives, and that’s a pretty big deal.
When you don’t need help, think about ways you can make your friend’s life easier or better. It may not cost you much other than a bit of time (or it may), but saving a friend money, time or stress in an emergency situation is worth every bit of your investment.
In a year, you’ll be 38 times a good if you get one percent better each day. That seems like a such a crazy number — it’s just to illustrate the power of compounding.