Save that Money, Honey!

 Before you can save or invest money, you must earn it. Solomon emphasized diligence as a key to financial success. A lazy person will be poor, and most poor are relatively lazy. But the labors of the diligent man will acquire riches.

He who has a slack hand becomes poor,

But the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4

The most important lesson that I have learned by listening and by bumping my head is to save my money. Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Rainy days are real and you must prepare! There is nothing like having it all for fake and needing it all for real. There are 30 days in the month and you only have 2 days’ worth of money. Learning to save is the first key! So many people, both young and old do not understand the principles of fiscal responsibility. Paying yourself like you pay your bills is the first key to success; followed by actually paying your bills.

When your money is not together, you may have to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation to get the money! You may have to ask and you know how INDEPENDENT you are. You may have to take a job that seems to be beneath you, you may have to spend time working harder than needed just to barely make it.

Save that money, honey!

I know it’s hard to save money when there is barely any money coming in and when you are getting some money it already belongs to someone else. I remember once having to borrow money to pay back the money I borrowed to pay back the money I had borrowed a few weeks ago. It gets to a point when you don’t want to have to be in that situation. I mean, I got fed up with just not being able to do what I needed, not just what I wanted. Ignoring my credit like it was a boyfriend who would eventually get the point only led for me to be met with debt and her husband interest.

Lesson: Stop believing in someone else more than self. Believing that another person’s reassurance in YOU can assure you more than your own self-belief and your own self-worth won’t help you save a dollar. Money is not the root of all evil. The love of money and the lack of respect for money causes us to put ourselves in situations we should not be in. Being irresponsible with my money has taught me to respect money. It has taught me to open up the mail before I throw the bills in the drawer. Make arrangements and stop being prideful. Pride has never paid a bill.

Being financially irresponsible has taught me to take care of my business before it takes care of me.

Lesson: Always be prepared to take care of yourself even if someone else has promised to take care of you. (Nobody can take care of you, like you) Let everything someone does for you be a gift, not a need. Learn to say no. Saying no can save you from a lot of situations. Saying no can save you from yourself. How many times have you said yes, when you really wanted to say no and then ended up being in a bad situation. Learning to say no will save you. I have said this statement 20 times, but my favorite word is no. NO! Just feels good rolling off my tongue.

There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt;

It’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt. Proverbs 11:15

Save that money, honey!

A few tips on saving:

1.       Pay yourself first (10 – 20 % of whatever you receive)

2.       Spend less than you earn

3.       Pay bills (on time) if you have no bills, put money to the side as if you are paying bills.

4.       Stop eating out/hanging out with your necessity money

5.       Don’t count on another

Being financially responsible takes commitment. Are you committed to being able to do what you need while also taking care of your wants? Learn to live off what you have already and not what you are expecting!  

The wise have wealth and luxury,
    but fools spend whatever they get. Proverbs 21:20