Rachel is a 21 year old single mother who works in a local department store and lives on a modest income. I overheard the end of a conversation when she said that making payments above $400 for a car payment was not a wise choice. When I ask her view on making car payments she stated that as a single mom that kind of payment is out of her range. Rachel shared that she has friends who are driving high dollar cars but living in “messy” places. She said that she would prefer to provide a nice, safe environment for her children to live than spend the money on an expensive vehicle. Rachel further stated that if she could afford it she would probably consider it. However, she purchased a 1999 Honda with 34K miles on it in CASH!! I commended her for making a very wise decision. Rachel has developed a very strong discipline along with other common sense disciplines to live by that will be passed on for generations to come. Great job Rachel!
Living on less than you make (earn) is a common sense precept. Make the wisest financial decisions possible if your situation is similar to Rachel’s young or old and your future will be brighter and less stressful. Is paying cash for a car possible? ABSOLUTELY! Take a personal financial assessment to pinpoint where your money is going. Are there areas in your spending plan where you can make some adjustments? For example, are you eating out too many times during the week? Are you shopping on an impulse? Are you making too many trips to the casino or purchasing too many lottery tickets?
Are you willing to make serious sacrifices for 12 to 24 months consistently to cause your situation to change? Great! Start by changing the way you think about your situation. As many of you have heard me suggest, get your emergency fund in place and stop digging deeper into debt and start paying off the smallest debt first.
Please share your comments or e-mail me at christineroebuck@livemylifedebtfree.com.