Just to let you know a little about me, I get very sentimental with “things.” I do not mean this in a selfish/bad way. I mean for whatever reason, I will grow a fondness for one or two particilar things that may or may not have any value at all.
One of those things is my computer. I built (sort of) a computer when I was a senior in high school. I no doubt had help, but at the time I was so proud of this accomplishment. I hand picked and bought each individual part, we put it together, and it ran…sort of.
It was a good computer, however, it was loud…like a jet engine. This is by far the loudest computer you have ever heard. It also radiates the most heat of any computer you have ever encountered. Not to mention chances are it probably consumes the most power too. But regardless, I loved this thing. I took it to college and had it all 4 years. I was so pleased with its performance however I could tell it was showing signs of dying.
I think I am about 8-9 years removed from the day I build the computer (yes I did actually name it and no I will not tell you it is gizmo).
Even today I still use this computer. I am actually writing this post from gizmo as we speak. However it has a minor quark. It powers down at random times for no reason at all. So yes, I am constantly saving this in the event of gizmo getting any bright ideas.
This is a major road block. I cannot look past it. This is a major issue that will not allow me to fully utilize computing. Essentially you could say compared to what I need in a computer and what this computer has to offer it “doesn’t work.”
This relates perfectly to finances. There are some major road blocks that you CAN’T ignore in our finances. And if we do ignore them, we are in major trouble. Just like if I ignored Gizmo’s minor quark. Chances are there would be times that I would be working on something important and lose everything because I was ignoring the problem.
Look at your budget. Everything starts from there. All you have to figure out is income & outgo. If it “doesn’t work” you can do one of two things. Figure out how to raise that income (get a 2nd job, work more hours, pick up some odd jobs, etc.) or you can decrease those expenses. It’s that simple. However, too many people will see that it’s not working and just ignore it. That is just plain silly isn’t it?
Just like with my computer, ignoring it isn’t an option. If your budget does not work, don’t be discouraged. Make a decision. Increase income or decrease expenses. Usually when a budget doesn’t work, it is more often than not due to one or two budget eaters:
- Housing (having too high rent/house payment compared to how much income they bring in)
- Car (getting too much car than they can afford and making large car payments)
- Food (literally eating their entire budget).
All these can be fixed, it just takes work. Ignoring it isn’t an option.
