I have always had the mindset that if I want something and have the money available to afford it, then I will get it. I know this is a bad mindset to have, but it's just the way I am. I have spent most of the last 2/3 years in my overdraft (£1500 available) and I have continued to spend and not really worry about getting out of it. I only check my bank balance every few weeks and I tend not to think about saving as such. How are you guys with your money? Does it really worry you? Do you think about it all day long? Do you save every month?
I do worry about money constantly and I'm surprised that your bank let you stay overdrawn for 2 years. Banks in the US close an account that is overdrawn for 90 days. I used to have the mindset that I would buy whatever I wanted and having this attitude when I was young created debt and problems that still haunt me now, even though I'm an adult. I do save a tiny amount every month in an Ally account, but it's not enough compared to all the debt I have. I think while you're still young, you should start being more careful with money so that you don't regret it when you're my age. If I had started saving a little every month when I was 18, I would be in great financial shape right now.
I worry about money. I don't like spending it. I spend on things I "have to have" of course but I try to avoid spending when I can. When I was on vacation, that was the first time in a long time I had spent a lot at one time and that's only because almost everything was so expensive. I think when I get a job, I won't worry as much but I don't think I'll ever get a job I can handle. I often worry little things like surveys and GPTs will be my only option to make money for the rest of my life.
I think the fact that I have a monthly income + money from a few other sources coming in makes it OK. Never had any issues in regards to the bank contacting me about it. Well you can actually make quite a nice income online if you find the right sources.
I'm sure you can but from what I've found you either have to have experience or be a phone person or make your own website/blog. I am selling as much as I can but that's only a temporary thing. I have a jewelry storefront though where I'd get a commission but I don't know who I'd sell it to.
I have stopped worrying about money. Instead I have developed strategies and back-up plans for every possible occasion to keep my cash situation flowing. Admittedly, the flow isn't always heavy or steady, but there haven't been any major interruptions for many years now. So, I guess I must be doing something right. One of my principles is to never overdraw my credit or take out a loan.
My mind set on money is that if I want something, I've got to work hard to get it. And if I want it bad enough. I always seem to find ways of making more money in order to get what I want. I would hate to just buy something and put it on a credit card, knowing full well that I can't afford it. I would rather work hard now and be rewarded rather than buy everything I want know and have to work myself to death for the rest of my life. I think having to wait to buy a product gives you time to think about if you really need it, so it's a great way to save a lot too!
I struggle a lot with money, it's a constant worry for me. I never overdraft because I do my math at least once a week, so I know exactly how much I can spend. However next month I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to pay my credit card bill 100%, I might have to overdraft for the first time, and that is killing me.
It wasn't until about two years ago that I started worrying about money. These days, I ask myself before spending on anything "How long will I have to make back the amount I spend?" Back in the day, I spent like I could easily make money back. These days, I rarely spend unless it was to pay a bill. I believe by the time I start making stable income again, I would still retain a large part of this learned mentality. I can attest to it, because I used to make a decent salary and times has been rough in the last few years. I never saw or felt the value of the dollar, or the pennies I made. Now I have.
With me, I think about money all day long. I don't have much money so it worries me and I really want it. If you lived a poor and broke childhood all you want is the opposite. With wanting things all the time I end up spending above my means and get in debt. So I spend my time worried about bills and how to make more money to pay them off. It's tough, stressful, and takes a big toll on my body.
I love this totally honest post, I really do. A lot of people are this way but don't want to admit it. I'm this way a lot myself. I grew up without a lot of money and was working crap jobs making $250-$300 a week. For a while, I wished that I could just make $500-$600 a week...I just knew that when I did, I would be able to live comfortably. Then, we had to move and got a nicer place, plus I needed a car and bought a new one. Now, funds are always tight, even though I'm making even more money than that. It seems like it's never enough and that I'm always living above my means, but part of me feels like what I have are things that I DO need. Yes, our place is nicer, but it isn't extravagant...before, we lived in a place that was falling apart and that wasn't in a safe area. The car that I had was falling apart, and I had an option...I only had $500 cash, and the car I could have bought for that wouldn't have lasted a month without needing repairs. I was able to put down a $500 down payment and get a brand new car with a 100,000 mile warranty, but now my payments are $400 a month. Part of me thinks it's worth it because I have a reliable vehicle that never breaks down and that I can get fixed for free if something goes wrong...before this car, I always drove vehicles that I was afraid were going to break down on me because they always did. Paying $400 a month for a car that I know will last me and get me anywhere that I need to go makes sense when I was easily spending that much every couple of months on the beater car that I had before, and it still always had problems. So, to me, I can justify why I spend $300 more a month on rent and $400 a month on a car payment -- it doesn't provide us with some sort of extravagant lifestyle (my car is a Kia, not a Mercedes or anything, and we live in a nice doublewide trailer on a private lot, not a mansion), but I feel like these are things that we need. Yet, they come along with additional stress -- $700 more per month is a lot, plus now the electric bills are higher in our new place, and the insurance is higher on my new car, and etc. etc. So honestly, I worry about money all the time. I don't think I go one hour out of the day without thinking about money and bills. I wonder if I've made mistakes in some of the decisions that I've made, and I stress out and wonder just how much money you have to make to live a decent life in these times.
It must be nice to never have overdrafts. I got a cash advance from a company that provides advances to eBay sellers and they overdraw my bank account almost every month. There is no way to unlink my bank account from my account with them until the advance is completely paid off.
Yes I do think a lot of people worry about money too. Like you are saying it never ends. Nothing is free. You have to pay your utilities, rent or if you live in a property you own it could end up being more expensive, internet (which is pretty much essential for everyone these days), car payments or bus and for food. That's without doing activities outside of the house too as you often need a car or take the bus to get to work. It's even worse now that the economy still seems to be bad.
All the time. For most, money is something we can never NOT think about. For me, it's a matter of my impending school loans that I will soon have to start paying off. Especially in this job market, I'm not looking forward to somehow finding a way to support myself and pay off school
I don't worry about money. Growing up I've had to hear my parents always say "I don't know what we're going to do about the bills this month," or something similar. It did bother me a lot, because we would always pawn our possessions just to get money. Spent most of my life barely getting by on a monthly basis. Now being an adult, I think about money, but I don't worry about it. I barely spend money on myself as I don't normally need anything that's not food. Have a budget going and just recently got myself an online job. It's coming together at a decent pace so I can only be thankful. Much better than my past. Just making smarter decisions and that includes staying home on Friday nights. Ha.
It sounds like you're getting yourself together, BlacKnight. That's great. I know what it's like to grow up broke and always trying to figure out how to pay bills; it's definitely stressful. Knowing to stay home instead of going out to eat or going bar hopping is definitely a good way to prevent yourself from spending money. We only go out to eat about once a month nowadays because we really can't afford to eat out any more than that.
I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from. Thanks, because I do like the person I have become. =) I'm not influenced by people anymore that wanted me to go out every weekend to spend my money at restuarants. It helped that I'm not the drinking type, but I was always going to the same place on Fridays with a group of people.That place was Streak N Shake. I enjoyed the social part of it, but not my pockets. I rarely go out much like you. Sometimes it can extend over a month before I grab take out. I think we have a healthy routine. Only going out sparingly is good on the money and body when it comes to food and other things.
I definitely think about it frequently. I'm very aware of my bills, debts, and income needs, so it's on my mind regularly. I don't necessarily "worry" about it except when emergencies come up, but that's only because I don't think it does me any good to worry. If I can't change it, then what good is worrying going to do? And if I CAN change it, then I'm likely to already be doing that.
I worry a lot about my money, especially in a country where the cost of living is ten time higher than you're monthly salary. Even if I have the money to spare for things that I fancy, I would often rationalize about its value, do I really need it? Is it worth the hours of hard work? I always keep a list of expenses and almost always pay in cash rather than use my cards.
I never really worry about money before I got married even though my family members kept on telling me to save for a future. But I started worrying about it when I was pregnant and now I'm learning to use money smartly and save however much I can as my daughter is here with us.
