For Those Struggling Financially

[james.hendrickson]

For all those lurkers who are coming to the forums because they are struggling financially, remember:

1. Everyone's situation is unique. What works for some people may not work for others.

2. Avoid comparing yourself to others. Some people get gifts or spend on credit to make it look like they are in better shape than they are. This gives them the appearance of success, when in fact their budgets and balance sheets may be in poor shape.

3. Find what works for you to build wealth. Some people do better with paper budgeting, some people need electronic tools.

4. Don't get discouraged, keep working on your goals! You'll get there if you keep working on it.

[msomnipotent]

I would like to add:

5. Surround yourself with positive, helpful people and avoid those that like to remind you of your problems. You are under enough stress without having to deal with someone that has never been in your shoes but knows exactly what you "should" be doing.

6. Appreciate the little things, whether they are adding an extra $5 to your savings, enjoying a free day at a park, or just not having yet another costly emergency to deal with that day.

[bjl584]

I'd add:

7) Don't be afraid to post on the forums. We're all here to help, and there is a wealth of knowledge from a very diverse group of people here.

[clatoden99]

Also, avoid the temptation to take high risk short cuts to get rich.

There's a reason why rich people don't play the lottery. Beside an occasional lottery ticket for fun, rich people don't waste time or money on lottery tickets. Meanwhile roughly 50% of all lottery tickets are purchased by the top 10% of the players, who are usually the least able to afford such enormous financial losses.

Similarly, don't get sucked into get rich quick schemes, especially if they tell you that you need to spend money to make money. If they worked, you'd hear about rich people doing them. But since you never hear about actual friends getting rich, they're just scams.

Getting rich takes time and effort. That's why I've been diligently toiling away for decades. Not losing your hard earned money is the best way to get there eventually. One day, I’ll be there too.