Summary: One of the things that my dad always taught me is to live within your means. He told me to never use a credit card unless I could pay off the full balance when the bill came in. He told me to save for the things that I wanted and buy them after I had saved the money. He told me to be content with what I had and not be jealous of things other people had. These are are all very sound financial principles.<br> <br> I’m pretty conservative with my purchases, but money does burn a hole in my pocket faster than it will my wife. She is very frugal. She hates to shop, will wear clothes that are terribly out of style if they still fit and aren’t worn out, and she will talk herself out of buying just about anything that isn’t absolutely necessary. When we first got married I would buy her gift cards to clothing stores for Christmas or her birthday so she could go buy something she liked. She never spent them. On the rare occasion she did spend them, it was when MY birthday had rolled around and she’d use it to buy me something. I then switched to picking out and buying clothes for her instead of gift cards.<br> <br> I can’t express how important it has been in our marriage to be in such agreement about money. Most couples fight most about money, and since we both have the same money principles, we almost never argue. <br> <br> I mentioned on Friday’s show and Monday’s show that one of my clients had cut back the work that I’d been doing for them. While this is certainly a situation that I wish had not occurred, it is the way of life for us now that I am self employed. I no longer have a steady paycheck, but depend on work from clients. If something happens to their situation, it will trickle down and affect my situation. Read More...
