Money – How Not to Be Tempted
When you walk down the street in town, you see plenty of advertisements, neon signs, and other temptations that directly invite you to enter a store or buy a product that seems like something you absolutely need right now. If we let ourselves be tempted by all those flashy signs, we’d spend all our money in a single day.
We need to resist the things that tempt us, that’s true, but to what extent? Maybe, even though I’m not the wealthiest person, I still don’t want my family to live on bread and water alone. It’s important to find a balance between what to buy and what not to buy. You might think it’s simple—just don’t buy what you don’t need—but then the question arises: what do I really need?
What do I buy?
Setting aside the things we absolutely need to survive—basic food and clothing—we buy things mainly for pleasure—either for ourselves or for someone close to us. With these things, it’s hard to draw the line between what’s okay and what isn’t. This line needs to be set based on income, but also on what’s appropriate and what isn’t. It’s clear that if I’m not in the best financial situation, I won’t buy my wife the most expensive jewelry or dress for her birthday, but even if I’m not doing so well, I should think of my wife and at least bring her a flower or a box of chocolates.
Spend or save?
You shouldn’t go overboard with spending, but you also shouldn’t go overboard with saving. After all, money isn’t meant to sit in a bank account for fifty years, gathering dust, waiting for you to die so your relatives can inherit it. Money should be handled with prudence, but we don’t have to scrimp on every penny when we have enough. It’s good to have some “rainy-day fund” in case you lose your job or something unexpected happens, so you aren’t forced into debt.
Debt
If you plan to take on debt, you must be sure that you will be able to make regular payments on your debts. It’s also important to remember that you can’t solve debt with more debt. If you keep borrowing more and more money to pay off old debts, you’ll eventually end up facing debt collection, which can make life very difficult.
