It took years of austerity,,,
It took years of austerity,,,
But I finally got ahead of my bills.
When I was a graduate student at OSU I lived very cheaply,,,
I had an efficiency instead of a luxury apartment,,,
I drove a beater instead of a new car,,,
I packed food instead of eating out.
When I got my full-time job I waited over two years before I changed that,,,
My lifestyle did go up a bit but I stayed in my efficiency,,,
And resisted the urge to buy a new car.
Consequently I was able to put quite a bit into my savings account,,,
I have a 6-month cushion account that I don't ever touch,,,
I also created a column in my savings spreadsheet,,,
That is strictly for guns or other fun purchases.
Each and every month a certain amount gets shifted into that column,,,
Whether I spend it that month or not is a moot point,,,
I still always shift that amount into it so it grows.
So now if I see something I want I can purchase it with no guilt,,,
I simply pay it back to myself instead of to a credit card.
It's not easy to do this when first starting out,,,
But if you can ever get ahead of your bills just one time,,,
The satisfaction you get is only equaled by the freedom from stress.
Of course it helps to be single with a reasonable income.
My point is there is no reason for most of us to live from paycheck to paycheck,,,
The fault lies in easy credit and unreasonable expectations and desires,,,
Champagne taste on a beer budget used to just be a joke,,,
Then credit cards came about and it's the new norm.
Before I went to school, got the good income, and saved up a good cushion,,,
I had to save for weeks to be able to spring for a brick of .22 LR.
Aarond
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