My parents loved flea markets. You could get things for such a small amount of money and there were a lot of them when I was little. Each year, one took over a large area in the center of a nearby city.
Being a sucker for sparkly things (ooh, shiny!), I would bring my dollar bill to the sale and fall in love with 10 cent glasses and small dishes. I usually walked away with more than a dollar worth of merchandise and an IOU to my parents for hours of chores to work off what I borrowed.
That is exactly how credit cards work, except credit card companies charge interest and my parents didn’t (thanks, Dad!). I was also a kid so I had free time to do the chores to pay off my debt. If you’re already working full-time, you might not be able to work extra hours to pay for things you bought on credit.
Most money troubles are not due to lack of income. They’re due to a failure to manage cash flow. The short explanation is that you’re spending money faster than you’re making it. With a little bit of planning, you can live comfortably on what you make. Then, you can choose a few affordable luxuries.
My viewpoint is that if you build a comfortable relationship with your income and expenses you can create a life where you’re not worrying about money. When you’re free of that anxiety, you have a chance to truly enjoy everything so much more.
(I’m the one in the yellow coat. I’m also surprisingly clean in this photo. I probably rolled in the snow right before my mom took the picture.)
