Living Beyond Our Means

In this Hub I want to try to explain just how we can get into financial trouble as it sneaks up on us ever so slowly.

I'm going to base this on my personal experiences and maybe it will apply to others as well.

I'm sure everyone has heard of the old saying "what are you trying to keep up with the Jone's"? At least when I was growing up, that seemed to be a popular saying. When I was growing up my parents tried to be frugal and save every penny that they could. Their saying was "save your money for a rainy day".

I always wondered what that statement really meant when I was young, and today as an adult, I know exactly what they were trying to tell me. My dad would always say, "We are not living beyond our means" and he meant every word and stuck to it.

I was brought up riding in second hand cars, but they were paid in full the moment my parents bought them. No car payments ever that I can remember.

So, by doing so, they could afford nice vacations every year for the family, and bought some great toys, like nice boats, and a airplane for Dad, because he did fly for sixty four years and worked on Jet engines for a living, and was quite familiar with aircraft. Mind you, never a loan for anything. My parents were not rich by far, but they knew how to save what they did have, and being frugal with somethings so that they could enjoy others that they love to do.

Today's day and age, I don't think we know how to do such a thing like our parents did back in the 50's and 60's. I believe we are all just spoiled and just want everything we see.

Most of the population tries to live as if they were rich by buying things that they truly knew they could not afford, (including myself). The banks and finance company's make it so easy to get approved for just about any type of loan, and of course, with some very high interest rates to go along with already high payment.

We tend to live beyond our means by buying all those luxuries when we know we can't pay for them in the future. Everything seems so easy when the first few payments are due, but as time goes on and we purchase more and more things, on time, it starts to add up with the monthly payments. I can admit to that for sure.

I can remember many times just how happy me and the wife would be, getting that beautiful new car or that boat, all on payment plans, and years of them. Also, I can remember each month when it was time to make those payments, I just scratched my head and wondered where the money was going to come from. I'm sure many folks out there feel the same as I do.

It's not a pleasant feeling when you are up to your necks in debt, and who's fought is it? No one broke our arms to purchase all these nice luxuries, it's all our doings, and now we have to pay the piper for our over spending.

You have just watch a video on exactly what I was talking about. If we would like to have peace in our lives and not worry about where the next dollar is coming from to pay all of those unnecessary luxuries than we need cut back and due without some things.

I know I am starting to cut back and down size on what I own, "or should I say what the bank owns". It is necessary to do this if you think you are over your head in debt. I made up my mind lately that I refuse to work until I'm too old to work just to pay for things that I really don't need.

A lot of people including myself would love to own a huge beautiful home and that's find, but there comes a huge mortgage payment to go along with that home. Is it really worth working for something that's made out of wood? All we really need is a roof over our heads and live comfortable enough for you and your family. We need to give up some of the finer things in life if we want financial freedom in our future.

All I want for myself and my family is to be happy, love each other and live the clean and simple life with not a worry in the world and it can be done if you want it bad enough.

My future may bring, selling my beautiful home and buying a boat, say maybe a houseboat for instance, something large and comfortable enough for my wife and I. Now, secondly, if I were to do that, my next move would be heading down south, say for instance, South Carolina or Florida so that our living on a boat would be in the with picture perfect weather a majority of the time. Now here you would have the best of both worlds, financially free of debt and living for hardly nothing. No taxes to pay, you can pull up the lines anytime and take a cruise anywhere you like and the best part of it all is that you take your home with you!

That's my idea of simple living and enjoying life the way it should be enjoyed.

This is how I feel about my life and how I would like to live with no financial worries, because worrying about how you are going to pay for something, or many things, will indeed kill you. It will make you so stressed out that you will not know which ends is up when all said and done.

The video below explains it very well I think, and if you listen, it truly makes a lot of sense. One must first, be willing to make a big change in their life style.

Here is one example of having something you really don't need. It's not that I don't love that Vette that I bought for my wife's 50th birthday, but it's really not necessary to have. It was nice while we had it, but time to let it go. If we ever hit the lottery we can buy another Vette for us to have fun with. There are many Corvettes, but only one life to live.

I opinion now is, Be Adventurist and just go for it, I have nothing to lose, but my monthly bills.