Discipline and Patience

Discipline and Patience
People love to put undue pressures on themselves thinking they need to hit certain milestones by a certain age. Social media is a large factor as we are constantly comparing ourselves to our peers. Johnny has a new car, Bill just bought a new 2000 square foot house, Sally just got a job working for Google. This leads to keeping up with the Joneses where we are doing something in order to show that they have as much money as other people, rather than because we really want to do it. The only bar we need to compare to, is ourselves. If we are not doing better than ourselves, one, two or five years ago then there is cause for concern. But most of the time, we are all improving and becoming better versions of ourselves. We just don't celebrate it due to others' more impressive accomplishments.

The only bar we need to compare to, is ourselves

Budgeting For Beginners

Intro to Budgeting
Financial literacy does not come to everyone innately and it is not taught in school which makes it even harder to access. Lots of financial difficulties an individual might face are from a lack of knowledge or that they even have a lack of knowledge. It's not until you discuss money with others that gaps in knowledge become apparent. Discussing finances is quite a faux pa in society which exacerbates the problem. It's easy to assume everyone has a good grasp of money and how to handle it but over the course of being in the workforce discussing finances I have come to learn that is not the case.

Why Credit Cards are a Death Trap

Credit Cards
Credit cards are a double edged sword. They can be a great tool for building credit and points or it can be a blood sucking parasite siphoning away your earnings. The easiest way to know if you should have a credit card, is if you have ever not paid your credit card off in full in the last year, then you should not have a credit card. It's that simple. You should immediately take all your credit cards and cut them up then begin to use your debit card for all your purchases. You cannot go into debt with a debit card, you will simply be denied which will be a wake up call to you that you are spending too much. Credit cards allow you to live beyond your means which is fun in the short term but will always be at the detriment to your long term saving potential.

If you do not have an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses you should not have a credit card. Credit cards are a luxury for those who are financially stable. They should not be used as an emergency fund or for purchases you cannot buy outright.