Your attitude about money could be keeping you from achieving financial freedom. Regardless of whether you have an attitude of entitlement or a poor man’s attitude, all of us have probably heard or said things that could be detrimental to our wallet’s health. Luckily, if you’re here, you want to improve your financial outlook. If this is the case, I recommend you avoid reiterating 17 of these sayings.
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“If you want something, act as if you already have it.”
So you’re telling me if you want to be rich, you should act as if you’re already rich? Does that mean you go into debt to finance a lifestyle you can’t afford? I think not! This plan of action won’t end to well. If you want something, work for it. This isn’t to say that you can’t speak positively about your future — just don’t pretend to be something you’re not at the expense of a debt-ridden future.
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“I’m too young to worry about retirement.”
Actually, the younger you are, the more of an advantage you have. Don’t miss out on precious compound interest because you think you have all the time in the world. You may be in your early twenties, but trust me — ten years will fly by right before your eyes. Use this time to your advantage and put away as much money as you can. Matter of fact, if you put away $100 for 10 years at the age of 25, you’ll be further ahead than someone who starts putting away the same amount at age 35 for a thirty-year timeframe.
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“It’s my money, I’ll do whatever I want to with it.”
If you want to have this attitude that’s fine. However, stop complaining to the world about not having enough money to pay your bills. Try this new mantra, “It’s my money, I’ll do whatever I need to do with it.” Cover your needs and pay yourself so that you are able to eventually by those things that you want.
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“I worked hard, I deserve to splurge.”
No, you deserve to pay yourself first. We all work hard, but splurging comes with a cost. If you don’t prepare for the cost of these splurges, you aren’t winning. How would it look to carry a $500 purse and not have any money in it? Or you’re wearing $200 LeBron’s on your feet, yet you’re asking people for a ride. Again, this is not winning.
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“You can’t take the money with you when you die.”
This is true — you can’t take it with you when you die. But you can leave behind a lot of worries and unnecessary burdens for your loved ones. Instead of spending every dime to your name, at least purchase some life insurance. This way your family could afford to bury you. You could also leave a legacy behind that will allow your children the opportunity to achieve greater success in life in the event you’re no longer with them.
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“I want my kids to have more than I did.”
I think many parents feel this way, but don’t dig yourself into debt to provide material things that don’t really matter to kids. Think about the implications that come with indulging your kids’ every desire. By giving them more than you had — are you creating spoiled little people who will grow up believing they should have everything they want at any costs? Focus on providing them with quality time and experiences. Give them beautiful memories that are priceless.
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“I’m going to wait until tax season.”
During tax time, all sorts of financial declarations are thrown around. From buying a new car, saving for a rainy day, or getting ahead on bills — tax season is not a crutch! Figure out ways to deal with financial distress prior to tax time. If you need a vehicle, prepare ahead of time by saving for it. There is always the possibility of a job loss or a flat tire, so prepare for these issues with an emergency and car maintenance fund. Use your tax refund to establish these funds — not to finance something you don’t really need.
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“I’ll do better when I earn more.”
Oh really? Why not start now? It takes time to develop new habits, yo. If you are spending more than you earn, neglecting to save for a rainy day, and earn money simply to consume it — these habits are going to be rather hard to break regardless of a pay increase. Set yourself up for success by training yourself to develop better money habits now. When you do begin earning more, you’ll be able to take the training wheels off because you’ll know what to do when more money comes rolling in.
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“If only I could come into some money.”
Just like I said above, mismanagement of a little will lead to mismanagement of a lot. It’s not an anomaly that some celebrities who once lived in mansions and rode around in Maybachs are now broke. We’ve heard the stories of basketball players and plenty of music artists filing bankruptcy and falling into obscurity due to financial woes. Many of these celebrities didn’t know how to manage money before their sudden fame and destroyed their futures and careers because they didn’t know how to handle their newfound wealth.
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“Everyone makes a car payment.”
Actually, there are plenty of smart folks out there who pay themselves a car payment and purchase a vehicle in cash! Unfortunately, I can’t say that I’m a part of that group of folks yet; however, I do aspire to be. I encourage you to aspire to do the same. Financing a car is not always financially prudent (and I say not always because everyone’s credit situation varies) because cars lose value as soon as they leave the car dealership lot. Planning ahead can save you a lot of money in interest (if your credit is jacked up) and can give you peace of mind knowing you can search for the best deal and pay upfront.
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“Just charge it.”
If saying this makes you feel all fancy, it shouldn’t. The amount of revolving credit you may have is not an indicator of monetary wealth. The number of commas on that bank statement would be a more accurate reflection. I’ll let that marinate and move along…
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“Budgets are for rich folks.”
Please don’t be so insulting. I’m not “rich” in a money related sense of the word, but I do have a budget. If you want to create wealth and obtain financial freedom, you have to know where your money is going. There could be money left on the table each month that is wasted in unnecessary purchases. Rather than using this leftover money to make someone else rich, you could save it and stack up coins for yourself. It’s all a matter of perspective.
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“I’m broke.”
No you’re not broke, but your financial priorities probably are. A simple way to fix this is to stop saying you are broke and put a plan to paper. Think of everything you are doing that is causing you to feel broke. Are you living paycheck to paycheck? If so, why? Are your expenses greater than your income? Are you trying to keep up with that Instagram or Facebook life? Focus on the real source of the issue. You may not have an income problem — just a money management issue.
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“I’ll never get ahead.”
No. Don’t think like this. To rise above thoughts such as these and make strides to where you want to be, you need to find some money affirmations that line up with where you want to see yourself. Instead of saying you’ll never get ahead try, “I deserve to get ahead.” See where that thought takes you…
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“I don’t have time to budget.”
Make a list of everything that you do have time to do. Is catching up with reality television or binge watching episodes on Netflix on your list? If it is, I’m sure budgeting is more important than these activities. I understand, I’m a Netflix junkie myself, but it doesn’t takes precedent over managing our household finances. If you just have to watch tv, you can alway bring that pad and pen to the couch with you and multi-task. Seriously, make time to budget — it’s way more important and it’ll improve your financial outlook.
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“Money is the root of all evil.”
Actually, 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” Get rid of this highly misquoted saying because it’s simply not true. Money is a tool and if used properly can be a blessing for you and others.
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“I can only afford the minimum payment.”
By making only the minimum payments on your credit cards each month, you risk paying more than you owe. Your credit utilization makes up 30 percent of your credit score and is determined by how much credit you are using versus the amount of credit available to you. If you’re making only the minimum payments, you are incurring interest fees — this will increase the initial amount owed. If this amount rises above the credit available, you could incur additional fees. These scenarios not only affect your credit score, they could impact how much you pay for other bills like insurance and rent. Truthfully, you can’t afford to make just the minimum payment.
I gave you a rundown of 17 sayings that will keep you from achieving financial freedom if you don’t deal with them. I know some of it may come across a little brash — but seriously, sometimes it just needs to be laid out there in the open. I have heard every single one of the sayings mentioned above. In fact, I’ve uttered a couple of them a few times myself. Instead of allowing these thoughts control me and continue to negatively impact my financial outcome, I decided to replace them with more positive ones that will help me achieve my goals.
Don’t be discouraged if things aren’t looking too pretty on the financial front right now. I’m not 100 percent on my -ish yet, but I’m making strides to get there. This is a process. You don’t have to know everything about money to get started — just start!
If you feel broke, create a budget and see what happens when you tell your money where to go. Find money affirmations that will keep your thought processes in check as you focus on achieving a better outcome. Stick with me as I continue to share my journey to freedom and you may find some encouragement. More importantly, remember to never give into your current circumstance — go out and create a better outcome.