Save Money or Become Destitute

A wise man will store up choice food and oils in his house.  A foolish man devours all he has (Proverbs 21:20)

Saving money is not a matter of math.  You will not save money when you get a pay raise.  You will not save money when pay off your car.  You will not save money when you win the lottery.

You will save money only when it becomes an emotional priority.

Everyone knows we need to save, but the desire to spend money on new things is a higher priority for most people.  So we buy DVD players, computers, expensive phone plans, perfect-fitting shirts, collectible salt and pepper shakers, gourmet coffee makers, and all sorts of junk that consume our dollars away.  Even worse, many people go into debt for these things!

And that debt results in monthly payments that control our paychecks and makes us say things like, “I just don’t make enough money to save.”

Wrong.  We do make enough money to save; we just aren’t willing to stop spoiling ourselves with silly spending.

If a doctor told you that your child was dying and could only be saved by a $10,000 operation, could you save the money?  Sure.  You would sell things, you would stop all spending that wasn’t required to survive, and you would take on two extra jobs.  You would become a saving machine!  You would give up virtually anything to reach that savings goal.

The secret to saving is to make it a priority, and that happens when you get angry enough or fearful enough about your financial future to make better money decisions.