Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

No One is Going to Save You

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I have some bad news for you. If you’re waiting on someone to show up at your door ala Publisher’s Clearinghouse and hand you a big cardboard check that will solve all of your financial problems it’s not going to happen.  No one is going to save you from your financial woes.  No one is going to suddenly decide that you, and you alone, are worth pulling from the depths of your financial hole, pay all your bills and set you up for life.  No one but you.

In truth, I’m writing this post as much for me as I am for you.  I need to hear that message occasionally, just as you do.  It’s nice to daydream about winning the lottery, or some sweepstakes and having some of your problems solved.  It really is.  But, if you, like me, find yourself lingering in those daydreams a little too much, too often, you need to hear those words.

You and you alone can be the savior of your finances.

Savior of your Finances

You (and I) are the best prepared, and the most willing (without fees), to take on the ratted nest of bills and accounts that we call our finances.  You (and I) are the most able to figure out how to sort out where our money is coming from and where it has gone.  You (and I) are the only ones that can drum up the willpower to make the changes necessary to begin telling our money where to go that it will be most helpful to our finances. No one else is going to do it for you.

No one but you.

If you (and I) don’t do it, do you know what happens?  Nothing but the same.  Your paycheck comes in (maybe on time, maybe not), your paycheck goes out.  At the end of the month, maybe we ask “where did it all go?”.  And if we do nothing about it, we’ll never really know.  We’ll just continue the pattern; wondering why we aren’t paid more, and wondering why what we are paid never seems to be enough.

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You can make a difference in your finances though.

Uniquely.  No one but you.

You can budget your money and tell it where it belongs.  You can know where your money is going, and control how it works for you.  If you actively manage your money, it can no longer control you.  Create a budget, track your income and spending, then take back your financial life.

Put your finances in order; be free.  Be debt free.  Be free to spend as you choose.  Be free to earn as you choose.

What are you doing today to break old financial habits and take control of your money?

How Your Confidence Affects Your Finances, Part One

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The other night, my husband and I watched Maxed Out, a documentary about the credit card industry and the effects using credit has on individuals’ lives.

While the movie itself had some dry sections, the heart of the movie, to me at least, was how people responded to heavy debt loads.

Of course, heavy debt loads is a relative term.

The Worst Case Scenario

One college student who was $12,000 in debt chose to take her own life rather than face the endless collection calls about a debt that she obviously felt was insurmountable.

Another woman, Yvonne Pavey, was in debt, but then, with late fees and penalties, the amount of debt she faced spiraled out of control.  Her solution was to simply drive her car into a nearby lake.  Her body was found at the end of the Maxed Out documentary.

The Endless Anxiety and Despair

Stay Confident and Pay Off DebtAnother woman in the documentary began to struggle financially after her husband died and she could no longer keep up with the house payments.  Rather than sell the house, she chose to finance her monthly $4,000 house payments on her credit card.  When she was interviewed for the documentary, she was weeks to days away from foreclosure.  The pain and despair she felt was palpable.  While she hadn’t taken the drastic measure of taking her own life as others had, it was clear that she thought her life was over and that she had failed.

She had mentally checked out of the game of life and felt that she had failed and there was no escape.  This feeling of despair among those who have debts is common.

The Effects on Your Health

In addition, carrying a heavy debt load can take a physical toll.  “Experts say there’s no question that being in debt can be stressful.  And a wide body of research has tied stress to health problems including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stomach disorders such as colitis.  ‘As with any serious stress’ debt does have an ‘impact on one’s physical health,’ said Elizabeth Carll, a New York-based stress and trauma psychologist.  Financial worries may cause a person to be ‘run-down, have more colds, migraines and headaches, [and] their current medical conditions may get worse” (The Washington Post).

As someone who is on a journey to pay off nearly $58,000 in credit card and student loan debts, I can attest both to the sense of hopelessness and the health risks.  For nearly 18 months in our debt payoff journey, the debt was literally all I could think about, and it affected my health.  I didn’t sleep as well as I should, I was quick to anger because of the stress from the debt, and my health failed me.  In fact, it’s taken me 15 months to restore my health and almost begin to feel like myself again.

We have been paying down our debt for two years now, and we have just reached the halfway point.  Our debt now is at $29,000 in student loans only, and we finally feel like we can breathe.  I’m not out of debt yet, but I’m far enough through the process that I can see how much that debt weighed on me like a ton weight around my neck.

Through this journey, I’ve learned that your mindset can make or break you when it comes to both your feelings about your debt and your debt payment.

Stay tuned for part two. . .

5 Ways a Better Credit Score Leads to Better Finances

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BookkeepingEverybody knows that you want to have the best credit score you can.  Why?  Because the better your credit score, the better the rates you can get on your loans, of course!  But, did you know that there are other reasons to try and improve your credit score?  In fact, here’s five ways that having a better credit score can lead to better finances.

  1. More money.  This is the obvious one.  A better credit score leads to better rates on loans (see above), and better rates lead to less interest paid over the life of the loan.  And less interest paid leads to…  (wait for it) a  better bank balance!
  2. Better rentals.  It’s a sad fact that many landlords are doing credit checks on prospective tenants these days.  They’ve got assets to protect, so it’s a smart move for them, but the fact that there are so many landlords out there getting burned that it’s become necessary is sad.  But, having a good credit score can help make sure you don’t get turned down for that great apartment down by the beach!
  3. Quicker payoff.  This one goes really closely with the first point.  With those lower rates, and lessened interest also comes the ability to pay the loan off quicker.  And, of course, a quicker payoff means a much better financial situation.  Especially if you avoid any new loans afterward.
  4. Any loan you like.  If you must loan money, at least do it smartly.  With the current state of affairs, you can’t just walk in and get a loan that has a pulse as it’s only requirement.  In fact, many banks and credit unions are cutting way back on their sub-prime lending for anything.  (P.S. the term “sub-prime” doesn’t just apply to mortgage loans) If you have poor credit, it’s much more likely, today, that you’ll get turned down for a loan altogether.  Better credit means that if you really need a loan, you probably can have one.
  5. Less fees.  We all hate fees.  Well, all of us except the financial institutions.  A growing number of them are making a growing amount of their revenues from fees.  And many have moved to an account structure that is based off of risk.  And risk is determined by credit score.  A lower credit score could mean an account with higher fees, or with monthly fees that some accounts might not have, while a higher credit score might qualify you for a different account without those fees.

So, you see, having a good credit score can really send your finances in the right direction.  And, having a bad credit score can really send them into the dumps in a hurry too!  Unless you’re very dedicated to the extreme frugaler lifestyle, and never plan on really using money, it still pays to have a good credit score.  It doesn’t take much to build it, and you might be glad you did someday.

photo credit: o5com