Finances : Paycheck to Paycheck

Many employed people cannot wait until they get their hands on their next salary which usually is spent in advance by a certain percentage. They live from one paycheck to another and because of that they fear to make any career move like changing jobs because they are not prepared and continue to sink in debt. The Paycheck to Paycheck syndrome can only be curbed by first accepting your financial situation however dire it is and realizing that only you are responsible for it and therefore have the power to change it – not your employer, or generous relatives, but you. There are many things one has to do like to start separating needs from wants and getting rid of the later. One should focus on stopping to borrow and getting rid of current debt in a systematic manner with calmness. However, it is impossible to do any of this if you do not take control of the situation and avoid the financial mess to take control of you. To do this you need to realign your financial attitude with the reality and put it in mind that you are living beyond your means and cannot afford the expenditure that you are used to. Besides, the most satisfying feeling about your finances comes when you realize that you have some little money stashed away in the bank such that if your salary delays for one or two weeks, you do not starve or fail to pay your rent. The knowledge and ability to resist spending that little money stashed away or the next salary since you have a cushion of savings on a luxury because you can afford to becomes part of your new financial discipline that helps you to avoid sliding back into the paycheck to paycheck routine. Kathleen Campbell, president of Campbell Financial Partners told the Kiplinger Magazine that People who live paycheck to paycheck have to take a hard look at what they’re spending money on. “It’s like when you try to lose weight and you don’t think you eat that much -- until you start counting calories. It comes down to trimming what you spend and maximizing where your money is going.” One of my best friends is perhaps the perfect example of someone with financial discipline. This gentleman works and hangs out with a group of friends who earn much more than him but because he realized that position long before anyone, he is the only one who never touches his salary because he has enough savings to survive and is always able to give his higher earning colleagues a mid month emergency loan. He is therefore not scared of losing his job or making that big leap into entrepreneurship because that same habit will help him in business. That shows you that the size of your salary does not really determine your financial position but rather your financial habits. Ends

Lifestyle

Finances : Paycheck to Paycheck