I guess I'm being a bit presumptive here; I assume that you're saving some of your paycheck in the first place. If so, congratulations. If not, GET YOUR FUCKING SHIT TOGETHER ALREADY!
I apologize for yelling, but it just pisses me off when people bitch about a shitty job or living paycheck-to-paycheck and do nothing to fix the situation. We get it: your job sucks, the pay sucks, whatever. Complaining never fixes anything. Do something to fix your situation—either spend less money or somehow make more. It's really that simple. Make some tough decisions about what is really "necessary" in your life. Put those non-working hours to good use learning new skills or picking up new hobbies other than "increasing the size of the ass-print on your couch while watching shitty reality TV." Get your shit together already.
I apologize for the detour, but for those that are saving up some cash, what are you saving it for? The possibility of a well-earned retirement thirty or forty years down the road? Who the hell knows if we'll make it that far, anyway? Are you socking it away for some undefined "business idea," like I was, floating aimlessly along, hoping that somehow you'll build up a mountain of cash? Even then, what would you do with said mountain? Would you travel the world? Would you then sit on your ass all day and do nothing? Would you start volunteering? What would this "business" do?
I guess my point is, think of the things that you would do if you had all of the money in the world. Then, take affirmative steps to make that lifestyle come about. Want to travel the world but have a "good" job already? Take exotic vacations when you get the time off, or (if possible) negotiate a remote working arrangement with your boss. Try to take a couple of weeks and imagine what it would be like to live that kind of a lifestyle. If you find that the lifestyle agrees with you, start making a plan for saving up for your goal. Figure out how much cash you would need to save up before you felt comfortable taking "the plunge," be it for buying a new car or starting a new, globetrotting lifestyle. It's really up to you, though I would suggest that you will come to value experiences far more than things, which have an odd way of piling up over time and becoming a bunch of shit. Whatever the case, make sure that you are saving up cash for concrete goals, and not just to be able to say you're sitting on a pile of money. Come up with a plan and put it into action. Remember, at the end, when you're old and frail, or when you step off that curb before you see that bus coming toward you, you can't take it with you. Start planning today.
Questions? Comments? E-mail me at djssuperblog@gmail.com. Follow me on twitter @djgelner.
Labels: Goals, Good Habits