Why do we run up our credit cards?
Feelings make me spend money. Happy feelings, sad feelings, meh/blah feelings. They make me do it. I always think a new dress will help, and if that doesn't - shoes definitely do the trick... But for how long? I think about it and I'm like, hey, why not throw a hunned (one hundred- I swear I don't always talk like that, but I do think like that.. I digress) on a credit card and call it a day. No one gets hurt, I get a quick pick me up, and I don't miss out on any liquid funds I may need in the next two weeks between now and payday. No big deal right? Well, on occasion I don't think it would matter so much, but as a habit or a coping mechanism, or an addiction- all bad. All b a d. The bill comes, and now you owe $____.58 ( I won't put myself in blast this time). That sucks, what happened? It was only those 4 times when I let my emotions swipe my credit card... And then my credit cards good friend interest met up and they procreated and boom- higher amount that I owe and have to pay back.
I sat through a series of really motivation and inspirational seminars (classes? workshops? I don't know what to call things these days. Seminar sounds important, let's go with that) with a highly engaging facilitator (shout out to my cousin Michael- ayyeee ((I'm doing it again. I swear I don't say these things in daily life)) ) and he gave us some pointers and some disciplines or tools to take into our daily life. Let me tell you that interest sucks, and it draws out the paying off process... Especially if you decide to only pay the minimum payment. So my advice is to try to only use your liquid funds to pay for purchases if possible. Think of your credit card as something that you use when you need to finance a major expense, and then work to pay it off as quickly as possible. Credit cards are a great way to build up credit if used responsibly, and an effective way to damage credit if used irresponsibly. I didn't mean to go into a whole financial tangent, honestly. What I meant to talk about was how to work through those emotions without your credit card dragging you to the store. Cool, so now that I'm back to my original thought- if you're still down to read, let's talk about that. What are some things that make you happy? Shooooot SPENDING MONEY- BUYING STUFF- EATING OUT- A FULL GAS TANK! Ok, besides those things. For me, it's some fresh flowers, taking a walk outside, someplace green & beautiful, going to the beach, talking with a good friend, laughing at nonsense on YouTube, playing with my dog, hanging out with my family. Some of those things cost money, but $10 or less (minus the beach cuz for me the drive = gas). Some of the other options just take a conscious decision to do so. Find things that you love to do that don't impact your wallet. When you save more, you can do more... For you, your future, and for others.