AmacamA

Have you ever thought about the process of spending money? If you do the research before you spend on big ticket items by comparison shopping, looking for sales, searching for on-line coupons, and checking with consumer report websites for knowledgeable recommendations; then you are a savvy spender, and your money is working for you.

How Most People Spend

What most people don’t factor into the process of spending money is the emotional aspect of this action. Often people make purchases because they have been influenced and persuaded by advertising and other subtle but effective types of manipulation. Marketing experts, for example are masters of psychological manipulation, which is why advertisements always show happy, beautiful people using specific consumer goods to attain their state of well-being.

Our Parents Influence

Most of us have feelings that are both positive and negative about spending our hard-earned dollars. Many of our perceptions about spending, saving, and even earning money, come from learned experiences we received during our formative years. Our parents’ behaviors with money were often our first exposure to the process. If they budgeted, coupon clipped, saved and lived within their means, we probably will too. If earning a six figure income was a focal point, or living pay check to pay check played a big role in daily life; those memories had an influence on us, as well. Studies suggest that a large part of our emotional ties to money are directly correlated with our acceptance or rejection of our parents’ financial decisions.

Money Personalities

Money personalities vary greatly. Compulsive shopping, gambling and over-spending consumers usually end up with large credit card debt. The other end of the personality spectrum includes people who live frugally because they fear poverty. This fear keeps them from spending to the degree that they deny themselves things that they need for a better quality of life. Others try to avoid money issues by refusing to focus on how they spend or why. Often, busy people who make a good income don’t manage their money well because they lack the time to do so. All of these people miss the opportunities to put their money to work for them, even if it just means moving it to a different account to get a higher interest rate.

Thinking about Why We Spend

It is very important, now more than ever in this sluggish economy, to start thinking about how and why we spend money and how to get the most for every dollar we spend. The all important bottom line is preserving financial solvency. Knowing why we spend will help us manage our money more wisely.

Five Steps to Managing Money

1) Track where money is being spent and the amount 2) Set specific long term goals for your money 3) Pay cash, or use your debit card 4) Think before you buy to curb Impulse Shopping 5) Prepare for periods of unemployment by putting aside savings and purchasing Disability Insurance, and Death Benefit Insurance for yourself and your family.

If we decide to focus on where the money is going, and why, and put a plan in place in case our earning potential is lost, either temporarily or long term, we will be smart money managers and not victims of our own emotional spending.

About the Author

Find peace and live happy with proper money management skills. FromAtoZen.com is a daily resource that provides you with wise ideas on how to live life simplify and happily.

You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear

You’ve got to be taught from year to year

It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear

You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid

Of people whose eyes are oddly made

And people whose skin is a different shade

You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late

Before you are six or seven or eight

To hate all the people your relatives hate

You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be carefully taught

This little ditty is located in the middle of Act II of South Pacific, caught between the lively “Happy Talk” and the reprises that wrap up the love stories, one in tragedy, one in happiness.

It is really quite a social statement for the period just after World War II when these types of sentiment were awakening in our society. Don’t forget that the military was still segregated – full integration did not occur until the Korean War.

But I would like to concentrate on the first stanza and the first line of the second stanza because even in this day of social awareness, children are taught to “hate and fear” and “to be afraid.” We may have changed the targets of the “hate and fear,” but we still teach it.

Society is very good at controlling the individual. And one of the tools used by society is “fear” to manifest control. We are taught to “fear” so many things in life and we then let the “fear” control our day to day activities.

We are taught to “fear” failure to the point where we do not take the risks necessary to learn the lessons necessary to be a success.

We are taught to “fear” rejection to the point where we are paralyzed at the thought of picking up the phone to talk with people who have asked for our assistance.

We are taught to “fear” being different to the point that we are trapped in the mediocrity of everyone else.

This reminds me of the story of the African tribe that had a canoe race every year. But all the warriors were afraid to win because the winner would be killed. This is how the elite get to be elite, they control the rest of us to the point that we are convinced we will be _______ (you fill in the blank because we all have different fears) if we should attempt to step ahead of the crowd.

The problem here is then no one takes charge and the group is left to flounder around headless until a strong leader emerges who is willing to overlook the “fear” to set things straight. Strong independence can be seen as a threat by the greater group. The group uses all of its forces to control the individuals but some choose to ignore the control and step out despite the “fear.”

This not meant to imply that “fear” doesn’t really exist. When the courageous are interviewed, they will never say they are without “fear,”it is more that “fear” has a different impact on them. They use “fear” to direct their efforts, not prevent effort. The same is true for successful entrepreneurs, they are able to overcome the risk involved in their venture to achieve the results they are seeking.

So how about you? Can you overlook the “fear” you were taught and move on to the path for success? Can you overcome the “fear” you were carefully taught and reach the goals you have set for yourself?

Jeff Furgeson,  Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story.  Whether you’re looking to create an extra few thousand dollars per month, be an ex-corporate executive, or the next millionaire Mom, Jeff can assist you to create a second stream of income and greater peace of mind.  visit : Entrepreneur

Article Source: http://www.abcarticledirectory.com