That's telling them

Hello. There's no point in me telling you all how to be frugal and money saving, you all know what you have to do, earn more and spend less, and only buy what you need rather than what you want. That's my mantra and I'm sticking to it.

This post is aimed at the younger generation who have not yet got a grasp of budgeting their finances, and find themselves in a heck of a mess. This is your mum speaking, so sit down and listen. You know that silly tradition that we seem to have inherited from across the pond, Black Friday I believe they are calling it. Well, it isn't just black, it is a stinking cesspit of multinational businesses bullying you to hand over your money. It's all trickery, it's all lies, they dangle these shiny gadgets with lots of buttons and knobs on, in front of your face and say come on, you know you want one. If you get one of these your life is going to be full of sunshine from now on.

Only it isn't, You will play with it for a while, and six months later, the bogey men will pester you again, with a brand new soopadoopa all bells and whistles version. Aha, the one you spent a fortune on is now obsolete, and to keep up with all your friends, who will all have the new one, you have to follow suit and fork out another few hundred quid to stay in the game.

For goodness sake, what are you? Some kind of dumb sheep. Sorry sheep, you are not really dumb, you just follow each other. Have you not got a mind of your own? So, you get sucked in, you are desperate to keep up with your pals. They invite you to parties, you buy new clothes because you don't want to appear the odd one out. I know all about that, I did the same when I was a teenager, only I didn't buy my clothes, I made them. I found pictures in magazines, bought cheap fabric, and copied the designs. The best thing you can do is learn how to sew.

It's a big bad world out there, and now we have the internet we can see the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. There are lots of influences, that want a piece of our lives. Close your mind to it all, buying something nice to make us feel good is a short term fix, leading to long term pain. Do you really want years of having debt around your neck, dragging you down, chasing every penny, being in your overdraft every month, relying on the plastic? No, neither do I. I have never had an overdraft, wouldn't know how to apply for one.

Sleepless nights, worrying how you are going to pay for everything, running out of cash in the middle of the month, it's an eternal circle, a downward spiral, that takes ages to get out of. Best not to go there in the first place, will save you a load of hassle.

So, GET YOUR PRIORITIES RIGHT. Ok, I'm shouting now. You don't need to buy lunch out every day, make a pack up from home. You don't need Sky TV and all the other packages that you pay for, you don't even need to have a TV at all, get rid of it, stop paying the licence and watch legal catch up on your computer.

You don't need to get your hair cut every month, leave it for six weeks, and ladies, never get a shampoo and set at the hairdressers, that's just lazy. Wash your own hair in your own bathroom.

You don't need to buy new clothes every month, you've probably got loads of clothes lurking in your wardrobe anyway, wear them. Or buy from a car boot sale or charity shop. You can save a fortune buying second hand.

You don't need a flash car on finance which is going to be worthless when you have eventually paid the astronomical interest rates. Start by squirreling some money away and buying an old banger. I had a battered old van as my first car, then after saving a bit more money, another van, not quite so battered, and eventually a car, still old, but a bit better. I would never buy a new car, it depreciates at a rapid rate as soon as you drive it off the forecourt.

Ditch the takeaways, the coffee in cardboard cups, the magazines, the choccy bars, and anything else that is an impulse buy. Tell yourself that everything you buy from now on will be something you have given a lot of consideration to. You have thought carefully, worked out all the pro's and con's, and found the best price you can, then if you really need it, and you have the money to pay for it, then I give you permission to buy it.

If your life is pretty crap there is the temptation to treat yourself to something nice, to make yourself feel better. The answer is not to spend money you haven't got, because then you'll feel worse, You need to look inside yourself and ask why am I feeling like this. What can I do to make some changes. Don't be blinkered, don't think the road you are on at the moment is the only one. It isn't.

So my younger readers, to sum up. Know your own mind, don't follow others, make your own way in life. Be responsible for your own actions, you make a mistake say, ok I messed up, but I won't do it again. Anyway, I haven't got time to tap away all day on this computer, I'm off out for my walk, before it gets dark.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip