Money is not Stressful

It's not the money that makes our lives stressful. It's the improper use of money that causes the stress and strain we sometimes associate with money. I'm struggling trying to pay down my debt; well, honestly, I'd like to be debt free. But the struggles isn't just from the money, although more than not that's what I think. Really, it's the fact that I use my money incorrectly.

A few years ago I went to a seminar about motivation and one of the things they asked was how we felt when we get ready to go to work everyday. Well, at the time, I didn't like my job very much, and had lots of vacation. There were days I would wake up and decide this was not the day for me to go to work. I wasn't motivated to complete any work that day and therefore, no need to go.

Spin it. How would you feel about going to work today if you won the lottery? Would your attitude change just for that day if not future days? Well, of course, it would. That's motivation. When you think you can't do something (become debt free), it's all about your motivation. That's why I like reading the forums at Dave Ramsey. Believe it or not, I'm not the only person in debt.

My grandmother was never stressed about money, because money is not stressful. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

It's not about how much money you make

Really. I think about how much my grandmother made and how much I make. No matter how you look at it, I make probably 20 times more than she did. Seriously. She just knew what to do with what she had. Happy, content, peaceful, giving, caring - all the kinds of words that come to mind when I think about her.

Does money make you that way? Of course not. It's not about how much money you make.

Choose a financial path and get started

That's what my grandmother would say if I were able to talk to her and tell her how confused I am about this whole debt situation. I'm one of those people who will read and research, read some more, and do a little more research before I decide to actually do something. And, sometimes, in the midst of all that reading and research, I get bored and move on to something else.

I bought Dave Ramsey's book about 6 weeks ago and have just skipped through some of the stories. I WANT to want to get out of debt, but it takes a lot more than that. My confusion comes in having believed most of what I heard Suze Orman say in the past (yep, I have her book, too).

Maybe it's not so much who's recommendation I follow, as long as I commit to a process and get started. My grandmother didn't have a library of financial books, nor did she listen to every business podcast out there or search the internet for the perfect answer. She just did. You know, just make a choice and do. If it isn't the perfect choice, at least I started and I'd have to be closer than further away.

Dave Ramsey: How to get the right mortgage

If you're not familiar with Dave Ramsey and his gazelle-like-intensity for everyone to live debt free, you will hear some of his basic approaches to debt in this video.

My grandmother would have liked him a lot; I'm still trying to grab a hold of his concepts and figure out how to incorporate them into my life. He keeps popping up in my life. That must mean I need to listen.

Avoid Foreclosure

My grandmother owned her home as long as I can remember. She never had a second mortgage; so, owning a home meant just that. It did not mean that the house owned you.

Real estate foreclosure is no joke. I found this article that sheds a little light on where to get help if you find yourself close to being homeless.

Money Organization: You must open the bills

I know I'm not the only one who takes the long way to the mailbox. I hate getting bills and having to figure out how I'm going to pay them. A few years back, Oprah had someone on her show that would not open any of their bills or bank statements. I'm not that bad, but it is hard to sit down and make the time to know what's what and get everything in order.

It's a matter of organization. Finding something that makes it easy for me to know what's due and when it's due. I need to give this one some thought, but my grandmother had to have taught me this lesson and I've just forgotten.

Well, that gives me something to think about.

If you can't afford the car loan,

There's this car dealership infomercial running on our local channels - late night and weekends and it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. What they're offering is a car loan, for the credit challenged no less, that let's you roll your credit card debt into the loan. Or, not really just your credit card debt, the "actors" are saying things like, "we were able to pay some extra bills we had".

What!? Can you say upside down? What is it with these car dealers exploiting their customers and what is it with people not finally recognizing a bad deal when it's staring them right in the face?

Thank goodness I've moved beyond thinking this would be a great deal. Now, on to counting my dimes.