I guess I have a kinda abnormal upbringing, as it relates to money. My parents never made much money (my Dad is a pastor and a school bus driver, my mom is also a school bus driver). They never told me any real figures but I’d say that together, their annual salary is/was less than $30k/yr. I consider this to be a low salary for a family of 5. However, they managed to make things work.
I’m not saying that we were poor, just that we couldn’t do things like take a trip to Disney, DC, Vegas, or whatever whenever we wanted to. We usually had a small vacation every few years, and that was fine with me. I think I am not getting to my point….
My point is that my parents taught me how to be financially smart. For as long as I can remember, my parents have lived off of a budget. I don’t know the number offhand, but MOST of Americans live from paycheck-to-paycheck! I just cannot believe that, coming from a family that had a strict monthly budget. And when I say strict, I mean that they stuck to the budget.
Lately I have been noticing more and more people talking about money and financing stuff. I want you all to know YOU DON’T HAVE TO FINANCE THINGS! Personally, I have never had a loan in my life. I have no idea what my credit score is (nor do i care). I have figured out that I can live my life without ever owing anybody ANYTHING! Do you realize what that means? I will never pay interest for stuff that I don’t need.
Say I want a new MacBook Pro (and I do) because mine died recently. I’ve had a few people ask me why don’t I just get a credit card/get a loan/pay for it in payments. BECAUSE THAT’S NOT THE WAY THINGS SHOULD BE DONE! America would not be in the terrible financial shape it is if everyone would spend smartly! Sure there wouldn’t be huge financial businesses but those are the plague of this great nation anyway! blaaaaaaaaaaa my mind is going crazy and I don’t know what to type now.
If you have read this far, I commend you. I typically don’t write like this. I will leave you with this: an infographic showing some surprising figures on debt in America.
photo source
