How Important Is YOUR Money?

This & That: Buying a Home Edition School Lenders (Part 2)

How Important Is YOUR Money?

I talk about money a lot. I write blogs, books and answer questions about oney. I talk about money on my show. I talk about money with the media. In all those discussion I have, and in all the conversations I have with people who stop me to say hi, there's a common thread. The people who think money is important work hard to make sure it's helping them to get to where they want to be.

You just have to look at the way so many people deal (or don't deal) with their money to know that there is still a whole bunch of people who don't think money is important. It flows in and out of their hands without them having any idea where it's going.

There are the folks who spend without giving a second thought to their spending. Want a cuppa coffee? There's a Timmies, we can just drive thru. And while we're there, we'll pick up a 20-pack of Timbits. Never mind that that's the money The Other Half set aside for the hydro bill. Hey, it's just a cup of coffee, right?

How many times have you bought something without thinking about it? You walk up to the cashier and as you're waiting to pay you pick up the magazine, the pack of gum, the candy bar that sitting right in front of you. Was that a "thought about" purchase?

And then there's the instant-response purchase. Think of all the money that's been made on shamwows and easy-graters, miracle health remedies and anti-aging serums, bracelets designed to return your flexibility and pills designed to return your sexual vigour.

Some people don't have a budget, so they don't have a plan for how they will spend their money. They keep their fingers crossed and hope they get to the end of the month before they get to the end of the money. Then they scratch their heads and wonder why they always seem to be in overdraft. Duh!

And then there are the hard-working, lazy-assed dopes won't spend even one hour a month organizing their money. They throw bills and receipts in a drawer – or worse, they shred 'em without even opening them. They don't want to look at their bank balances because that would mean they might have to do something differently. And they're "too busy" to do the detail required to be in control of their money.

Hey people. Your money is important. You should know where every cent has gone. You should have a plan for how you'll use your money so it doesn't just vanish leaving you wondering what you're doing wrong. And you should invest a little time to keep track of it.

You drag your sorry butt out of bed every day to go to work to make money. Don't you think your money is important enough to warrant at least a little time thinking about how best to use the fruits of your labour?

It's an interesting paradox, isn't it? We'll expend all kind of energy making money, but some of us won't spend even a little time thinking about how to put it to the best use possible. Whazzup with that?

Hey, I guess it's because YOUR money is just not that important.