Finance Matters November 2012

by: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Director of Programs

Choices this holiday season...they will be clamoring at your door. Get ready, here they come. They will be calling to you from the mall. They will be wiggling in your purse. They will be blinking at you from Facebook, Twitter and online stores. They will beep at you from your smartphone. In fact, you won’t be able to easily stifle the daily drone of messages asking you to part with your hard earned cash.

Just think of it…as you work at your job (whether the workplace or managing your home and life) there is a group of people whose job is to create enticing images and messages that will encourage you to part with your hard earned time and money.

To live well this season think about these three things:

• Make a budget as a family - Really! Take time to make it a family event with everyone participating. It is a great way to develop critical thinking skills. Make it a puzzle to work on and finish together. Encourage everyone to look for ways to search out and FIND the best/lowest price for both needs and wants. In fact, talk about needs and wants and label them as you shop together or individually. Then huddle up at a designated time to discuss what you discovered about needs and wants. Talking about your needs and wants can be an eye-opening experience. It can be a step to help you embrace your life in a new, authentic and life shaping direction.
   
• Listen to the NEW VOICE competing in the marketplace – Have you heard the voice of saving … FOR PLEASURE. Saving? Pleasure? Is that really possible? It is! Saving is that hard earned buffer that makes a HUGE difference when it comes to the “unexpected” moments of your life. There are always unplanned things that occur…a flat tire, a home repair, a medical need, a party, a special gift…and your list goes on. It is personal and it is real. It’s not everyday, but it is coming. The pleasure of savings gives you room to breathe when that next unplanned event comes knocking on your door. Even if you have saved as little as $20, $50 or even $100 you will be in better shape than if you had no savings at all. Determine an achievable saving amount for both your family and you and then develop a plan to reach those goals.
   
• CELBRATE with an amount of money you have planned and set aside just for you - When you don’t enjoy the benefits of the money you earn life can be pretty overwhelming. Take time to figure out how you can enjoy your life and reap the pleasure of money you designate for you. This isn’t “guilt” spending. This isn’t “because everyone else is” spending. This is the pleasure of spending what I planned and budgeted for me. It may be $5, $25, or $500 if that is what you have put aside. Think about it. Plan it. Execute that spending and savor it as a fine meal. 

Choices are a definite part of this holiday season. Choose well.

Choose freedom!

Choose to live within your needs and below your means!

Choose to find more pleasure in savings than spending!

Choose to celebrate your great attention to your relationship with money.

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