Financial Freedom

"Money has never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce

happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it creates one.

If it satisfies one want, it doubles and triples that want in other ways. - Benjamin Franklin

Step up to the challenge of getting debt free and living within your means. Use wisdom in planning and in spending. Be frugal. Shop for bargains and sales. Time is currency. Are you willing to trade time with your family – which you can never get back – for time spend to get money to buy stuff. Anything worth anything takes discipline. Most Americans put spending ahead of saving, yet saving is what builds security. Spending patterns account for your future. Living within your income contributes to happiness, and living outside your income compounds misery. The number one cause of financial failure is THE INABILITY TO DELAY GRATIFICATION. The number one means of failure to delay gratification is CREDIT CARDS

“Don’t charge anything that is down the drain before you get the bill. That includes gasoline,

restaurant meals, grocery purchases, hair cuts, etc. Here’s my promise: If you will stop incurring

new unsecured debt and commit to pay every month the same minimum payments you were required to

pay this month – not paying a lower amount as your balance goes down- you will be out of debt

completely in about 36 months – that’s the average amount of time it takes. It’s really simple.”

Mary Hunt, Cheapskate News

Make a radical commitment to be content with what you have. Adjust your focus of the important. I would suggest that buying less and paying cash will help will help get back the true meaning of living. Lower your expectations and develop contentment. Want what you have.

“Wants may be easily satisfied, either by producing much or desiring little.” Marshall Sahlins

Develop a healthy respect for “Just $1.00”. Depending on your income tax bracket, you have to earn more than $1.00 to replace the $1.00. Fifteen percent bracket repays $1.41; 28% = $1.73; $31% = $1.82; 36% = $2.01; $39% = $2.16. When you spend, you are spending more than $1.00. When you save, you are saving more than $1.00. You can nickle and dime yourself into financial misery.

“Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.“ Ben Franklin

Challenge your spending habits. On a scale of 1-10, will you use it? How often will you use it? It is of value to you? Can you afford it? Budgeting focuses on lack and attracts spending. Focus on savings; see the challenge of getting a bargain. Let the savings feeling supersede the spending feeling. Become dignified and independent by learning to live within your income. You can do it!

“There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important,

as living within your means.” - Calvin Coolidge

Get in touch with your God-given creativity.

“One of the biggest things we lose by getting caught up in all this is the capacity for

imagination. People are at a loss to imagine what kind of existence they would have if

it were not for the ever-constant purchasing of new gadgets.” -Scott Moore, BU Philosophy Professor