Bad Spending Habits

I will never understand people who use a credit card for everything!

AS for me, and my thrifty shopping habits: I always limit my spending to what I have in my bank account at the time (plus, as an avid saver, I always have extra cash when emergencies arise). Alright, alright … I kinda’ understand the “psychology” behind the credit card use: most people don’t feel as much of the pain of spending when they use plastic as opposed to cash…but I can’t understand this kind of talk: “I have plastic so I think I can afford more than I really can”. That just doesn’t register in my brain for some reason!

So you had a big balance on your cards (wasn’t too bright, you know)? You wanted to pay it back, but you were trying to make ends meet as well, am I right? Then when you got your credit card bill and saw the minimum amount due, I bet that very low amount enticed you to just pay it, and the extra money went towards other things like food and rent, correct? Did you answer “Yes” to all of these questions? Well then, fast forward a few years, and I also bet that you’ve finally figured out that instead of your ancient purchases getting paid off, your freaking amount grew out of control … now, when you finally look at the interest you’ve paid out over the years, you realize that it was as much as the original items you bought! Sound about right? Sucks, huh? Continued

Here’s a fact: most advertisements are full of s@#t (some more than others [see pic])!

Whether it’s on TV in a 30-second spot in between your favorite show, or in the weekly circulars that are tucked inside of your Sunday newspaper, you almost have to know that some advertising company was paid big bucks to make you do or buy something that you wouldn’t do or buy otherwise (not with a clear mind I should clarify here). So my advice to you is this: take these lies with a grain of salt, while you quickly turn up your bulls@#t meter a few notches at the same time!

Throughout my short life, I’ve met plenty of people and companies who are full of absolute s@#t, AND plenty who are as sincere and genuine as they come. The tricky part then comes when this person or company insists they are one way (like wholesome and good for you) yet their actions depict them in an entirely different light. When this crap-talking session occurs, you’re nostrils should begin to flare up, and when they’re saying that they are a certain way, but nothing in their past reflects this claim then this would be the perfect time to walk away from this bulls@#t (I mean right now … while they’re trying hard to suck you in!). Continued

Remember Cabbage Patch Dolls, people? Or Tickle Me Elmos? Furbies even?

Well from that same corporate greedy well has sprung up a new plastic hunk of junk named the Zhu Zhu pet … and it’s the talk of the town this holiday season! This plastic hamster is the hot new “here today, gone in a closet tomorrow” product that the media is telling the general public they want and need for Christmas, so they can call the toy stores daily (to see if they came in yet) or spend countless hours online looking for them like little sheep? What a sad, and very pathetic, society we live in when we don’t even realize that these hunks of junk are going to go on sale December 26th, when they’ll be found everywhere (for less than their regular price, I should add here)! Continued

We all have that one friend who likes to lavishly throw their money around!

Here’s one of their stories, in a nutshell: you get a call from this spendthrift and they tell you they’ll be over in a second, and they hold true to their promise. Now when they pull up they are behind the wheel of some expensive sports car, and when they get out they are literally begging you to drool all over it! If you do, they cherish the moment; if you don’t they think you’re jealous! In either case … they fail to see that they paid way too much to get your approval (and when that day finally hits them it’s going to be too late, and they’ll be stuck making those expensive monthly payments)! Continued

Well folks, it’s that time of the year again …

There’s a little over a month to fill the “simple” requests from our children who are way too young to get the fact that Santa doesn’t really make those expensive toys they’re begging us for, or from our wives, husbands or family members who are old enough to know better, but still don’t seem to get “it”! Yes, welcome to America … a country that doesn’t care how much you make during the rest of the year, as long as you have enough dough in your pocket to blow it all the products the marketers and advertisers profess that you must buy to keep the peace!

Yet, the cold hard truth remains: You honestly don’t need this stuff … Jesus Christ himself didn’t have a Christmas tree, did he (probably because he wasn’t a 5th century German tribesman)? Really … at a time of mass lay-offs, a weak U.S. dollar and general uneasiness about our economic future, does spending hard-earned cash on shiny new (fill in this blank with whatever they’re begging you for) make any sense to you? God, I hope not! Seriously, how can anyone on a budget justify splurging on a 50” plasma TV or a $500 Coach purse when this country is in near financial ruins? Continued