In the midst of a slow economic recovery - so slow that businesses and families are really struggling to survive financially; it’s important that we understand what’s lead to our difficult situation. The reality is that Americans really must stop spending beyond what we earn. Truly, we have an epidemic of spend-aholics and while nobody’s doing it maliciously, if we don’t change our ways - the true lesson of the recession - our future, personally and as a nation, is in serious jeopardy.
The first thing we need to do is stop spending more than we earn. As a nation, we have become addicted to over-spending. The result is that we have virtually no margin (savings) to fall back on. We’ve used a variety of techniques to cover our growing debt but the reality is we really must live a balance life.
Here are the 3 really easy ways to get your finances under control.
So how can we start saving money - without feeling like you’re being deprived? While making the distinction between “wants” and “needs” will go a long way towards balancing your budget; there’s a simple tool that more and more retailers and manufacturers are offering that will save you money. This tool has been around for over a century. You know it as coupons; and coupons have really changed:
* They are evolving rapidly from the old “clip out your coupon from the newspaper” to coupon codes to printable coupons to the new smart phone apps for coupons you’ve requested.
* They are being offered for far more products than you might think.
* They can save you thousands on big ticket items!
Most of us are using credit cards to cover the difference between what we earn and what we spend. Americans have nearly 610 million credit cards - that’s like 2 cards for every man, woman and child - and the average card carries nearly $16,000 of debt. This is disastrous - the interest rates on most of these cards is between 18% and 24%! It is so easy to change this. All you need to do is do an internet search for “low-interest credit cards” and move your debt to a card charging less interest and enjoy the savings.
Finally, if you don’t have a plan for getting somewhere financially, you’re likely doomed to end up nowhere. Right now, 25% of retirees are living on their Social Security alone which averages just over $1,000 a month - not much of a life and what if Social Security runs out of money which many observers think will happen in the next fifteen to twenty years? Making a plan doesn’t take long and you can always modify your plan but wether you plan for a solid retirement or for seeing the world or to finance your child’s education; it’s essential that you make a plan.
As we get serious about changing the things that are keeping us “behind the 8 ball”; we will be able to get our income to be a bit greater than our expenses. It’s at that point that we can actually save a little each month and finally start experiencing real financial peace of mind!