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As you resolve to make this next year an improvement over last year - you might want to take into account that a lack of money is the root of all evil. You read that right. I added the "lack of" to the beginning of that old proverb because whoever authored the original version didn't have a clue.
Let's look at the facts. One out of every two marriages that fall apart can be attributed to money troubles. That's a frightening statistic. If your personal relationship is on the rocks because of money - it stands to reason that if you a had a bit more money, you might be able to patch things up. Can money buy you love? Not a chance - but it is a good down payment.
Money reduces stress and raises self esteem. It allows you to do more with your life and to help loved ones with their day to day problems. You end up sleeping on a warmer bed with a better mattress - which is good for your back and lets you get a better night's rest. If your hubby snores - you can send him off to the guest room - because you have two of them and they both offer first class sleeping accomodations.
Money buys you more personal space to sulk or just get out of your spouse's face. It lets you eat better and healthier food and have access to the best health care and, if you need it, marriage counseling.
I could go on with all the great stuff money can do for you and the people you love. But there's a flip side - a very dark side - to this truism. It's when the money runs out, or there's just not enough of it, or you owe a lot of it. That's when everything starts to fall apart. A lot of marriages don't survive the daily stress test of simply paying the bills.
You always hear about people "working on their relationships" when the real issue is that they're not putting enough effort into working on their budgets. How many husbands constantly moan about the missus pissing it away? How many women walk away from their man because he's a lousy provider? How many fathers abandon their children because - having failed to provide for their needs - they can't look their kids in the eye. Why do divorce lawyers do such a brisk business? Because money remains an issue even after a relationship falls apart.
The reality is money matters and it matters so much it can make or break you and everything you love. People often believe incorrectly that if you make more money that somehow it corrupts you and ruins your life. Well let me tell you, whenever I've had a little extra, life got a lot easier for me and a lot sweeter for the people I care about. When the money went away, everything got rough.
We live in a world where taking a nice vacation with your family has huge rewards, where living in a decent house makes a massive quality of life difference, and where if you are lucky enough to semi-retire and take a less stressful job the benefits to you and your loved ones are astronomical. Will money make inherently unhappy people suddenly happy? No, but if you are the average Joe or Jane, having more cash in the bank will help brighten your day and put a smile on your kid's face. Now there's two ways to have more money, make more or spend less. I'll leave the trouble of hauling in more cash to you and address the question of making do with less. There's only two ways to cut back expenses - you can actually consume less or you can pay less for what you do consume.
If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, the first thing you need to learn is how to live and do whatever it is you want do to with less money.
So, as the clock winds down to that magic hour and we greet the new year - let me offer you a pick of two resolutions. Making both resolutions would be great - but you should be fine if you just stick with one.
"This year - I resolve to consume less" or "This year - I resolve to pay less"
Have a happy cheap year.
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