Top Financial Lessons
Most of us learn by a combination of experience and observation, especially as children when we’re more apt to soak the whole world in. (Just ask anyone whose toddler suddenly blurts out something unexpected.) And if you’re like me, over the years you’ve learned some financial lessons.
What would you say your most stand-out lesson was?
For me it was this:
If I don’t have the money today, I don’t buy.
And if only I’d learned that one a whole lot sooner. That right there would have saved me many thousands of dollars and several other stupid mistakes. Plus I’d have been able to start on another financial lesson a whole lot sooner: living below my means.
I still feel like I spend a ton of money — and I do, especially compared to the years when I earned less than $5,000 for the year.
But now I save before I spend, and I have more money all around — both because I have a better income, and because the money I do earn isn’t pouring out of my account right off the bat to pay for things I bought years ago.
It’s funny how two simple (and actually very easy-to-do) things can make such a difference.
I asked my children what if anything we did that helped them be successful? They’re response surprised me. They saw how my wife and I handled problems or issues. They prove your thesis, they learned much more by what they observed.
Hey I should ask my own son that question :)
I wish I would have learned not to buy if I didn’t have the money on that given day earlier on. This simple and easy to follow advice would have saved me a small fortune when I was younger. Imagine what this practice could do in regards to starting a proper savings amount for your future down the road. Any extra finances left over after a monthly budget can be deposited into a savings account where interest would help it grow over time.
That is an excellent lesson. It’s the simple things that can really make a huge difference.