1 NO DEBT
Borrowing money for the things you need or want puts you in debt. It means that you are indebted to someone else. Sooner or later it all has to be paid back along with the interest. The debt is not going away until it is paid off so there is no point in burying your head in the sand if you are indebted to your creditors. Creditors have every right to expect repayment of their money whether they are the bank or other lending institution or a family member.
2 COST OF BORROWING
There is a cost attached to borrowing money and that cost is interest which is sometimes referred to as “Dead Money.” Paying interest on the stuff you buy on credit adds to the cost of the item. The habit of purchasing goods on credit adds up to a massive amount over the course of your lifetime. That interest money could have been used to build a nest egg. Commercial debt is the worst type of credit spending because the item which has been bought on credit loses its value as time goes by. Another name for commercial debt is dumb debt.
3 READY MONEY FOR EMERGENCIES
Emergencies crop up from time to time. The car breaks down, the washing machine needs repairing, you suffer a tooth ache and need to go to the dentist, you need a new pair of spectacles. There could be anyone for a number of reasons for financial emergency. If you have money set aside for these then you can tend to these emergencies without worrying about whether you have the money to pay for them. Every responsible person has an emergency fund on hand to cushion them against financial shocks which can occur from time to time.
4 A NEST EGG FOR THE FUTURE
Saving money means you are able to build up a nest egg for the future. If you are a responsible person you will have a retirement scheme of some kind where a portion of your pay goes into the fund. In New Zealand it is called Kiwisaver. I can not stress enough how important it is to be enrolled in Kiwisaver if you are from New Zealand. The government incentives make this scheme a no-brainer. Your country will have its own scheme with it’s benefits.
5 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SPECIALS
If you have no money then you will not be able to take advantage of specials. That does not mean you should spend money on something for no other reason than it is special. Your own common sense and self-control should be employed here.
