There are many reasons why people go into debt. Some say it is because of unexpected expenses, others say it is just simply too expensive to live these days. However, one of the most common reasons people sight for getting into debt, is the need to feel like they are keeping up with everyone else. Social pressure in other words, leads many people to unnecessarily spend money on things that they don’t really need so they can feel like they fit in. It is an age old cycle with devastating consequences.
Socializing your money
All around us, people are spending money. Everyone has that friend who always wants to pick up the tab for dinner or after work drinks. Some feel that people do this just to be nice, others feel that people do this to show off money. Ultimately it causes others to feel that they need to do the same. It is the same thing with vacations, cars, clothing, and pretty much every other material thing in life; every time you think you have what you want, someone upstages you. “Keeping up with the Jones’s,” is in fact a very real problem. However, people don’t often stop and think how the Jones’s are actually affording all that they have. Do they have a lot of money? Or do they just put in on credit cards like many of us do? If that is the case, all we are doing is trying to keep up with the Jones’s debt, a game which should be left alone.
Shift your thinking
Instead of getting jealous every time your neighbor gets a new set of golf clubs, think about how much you would pay in interest for those clubs. In fact, maybe he is doing the same thing. New stuff doesn’t sound nearly as good, when you consider how much you are actually paying for it when you charge it to a credit card. Instead, save up for big purchases, they will be much more rewarding in the long run. While you are retired, living a life of leisure, your neighbor is probably still working to pay off all of those toys he put on credit cards.
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