Thursday, March 7, 2013

Hands off my Starbucks!

One of the things I hate the most about finance articles I read online is how they are always telling you 'NO' to everything that you want. You have to say NO to cable, NO to credit cards, NO to shopping and NO to Starbucks. Many of them include calculations that show how you're spending x amount of dollars on gourmet coffee every year. There's even a blog out there about how one family lives on $14,000/year like it's a good thing. That's pathetic! Why would anyone really want to live on $14,000/year???

Mark Twain once said, "I'm opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position." I'm pretty sure most people would rather have more money than less. So instead of trying to find dozens of ways to cut corners and deprive yourself of what you really want in life, why not find a way to increase your earnings? The wife in that family even started out by saying that she had a shopping habit that was stopping her and her husband from reaching their financial goals together. But instead of trying to find a way to make more money, they decided to cut corners.

Growing up, I've always been told to live below your means. Why do people say that? Why don't people tell you to earn more so that you can live the way that you want to?

The only thing I can think of is that people are afraid to chase their dreams. Or maybe they don't know how to. Schools these days don't dare teach you any business skills, finance skills or how to budget your money. They don't teach you how to invest, or how credit cards are actually a good thing, or how to be a CEO, or even how to set goals in your life! No, instead they consistently crank out employees every year at graduation. The only thing most people know what to do after high school or even after college is that they need to go out and get a job.

One of my near future blog posts is going to include all of my life goals, and I can guarantee you they are not going to include telling you to stop going to Starbucks.

And for my fellow Starbucks lovers who may not be aware of this yet, here's a special treat for you.

5 comments:

  1. haha. We have a special allotment in the budget for Starbucks purchases for Mr. PoP. Unless life gets dire, it's pretty much a non-negotiable.

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    1. lol, I do too! To me that is just as much a necessity as paying my phone bill :)

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  3. I would agree that many times people take the idea of living below your means to extreme. I've lost interest with several authors/bloggers who get too crazy with cutting back, to the point where you have to wonder how their kids feel about the situation. I've seen snippets about the family living on $14,000 a year, and have to admit my first thought is "How lazy are they?" I know, so judgmental of me! But I don't see why 2 adults wouldn't be able to make more money than that, even if the 1 is going to school.
    For me personally, I'm working hard to increase my income as much as possible, while staying in a field I love. I'm also spending more intentionally. I got rid of cable because honestly, I wasn't really watching TV that much, and it ranked below my priorities. I cut out Starbucks because it was becoming more of a habit then a want. But I'll still treat myself from time to time. And you'd better believe I'll be the first in line next Holiday when the cranberry bliss bars come back!
    Make more money, spend less than you earn, and spend on what you value. It'll vary for everyone!

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    1. I totally agree, spending money on what you *value* makes a big difference, and yes, it'll definitely vary for each person. And the cranberry bliss bars are so yummy! I think I spend more money on Starbucks during the holidays because of the extra flavors and treats they during that time :)

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