Friday, November 12, 2021

The fundamental reason why most people can’t save money is not because they spend too much, but because they lack a sense of crisis


01

As life is unpredictable, we are all worried.

I remember the fables of squirrel and crow when I was young. Winter is coming, squirrels have been actively hoarding pine cones looking for food, but crows are lazy to go and find food. When winter really comes, squirrels have food for the whole winter, but the crow has nothing, thus it can’t withstand the cold winter.

In fact, we have long known the importance of preparing in advance, but I don’t think most people think that they will become that miserable crow.

And many people cannot save money not only because they earn less and spend more, these are just behaviors, but the way of thinking is the most important.

Because they can't think of the consequences of not saving money, life has not yet staged this scene for them. Maybe he won't be a crow, but he may be a frog slowly cooking in warm water, bewildered by the comfort of the moment, forgetting the danger that might come.

02

There was a girl on the Internet who shared her own story: Worked overseas for more than ten years, single, is now a glamorous office lady in the workplace, did not buy a house but rented a house for 7,000 per month, flown around the world , live in first-class star-rated hotels. This girl plans to take the initiative to resign and take a two-year break before 2020.

She earns a lot. After all, not many people can afford a monthly rental cost of 7,000, but the girl never expected that after resigning, she would encounter a rare epidemic, and due to her nature of work and not having enough savings, she immediately faced a cruel financial crisis.

Almost all savings have been spent in the past two years. She sold all the jewelry bags and was considering whether to sell the high-end car that was still repaying the loan.  The glorious and glamorous experience in the past is worthless at this moment.

It’s not impossible to start from scratch, but it’s difficult to change from extravagance to frugality. She has to re-set her mentality to set off again.

At the beginning of covid19, we were a little frightened.

But only we ourselves know that the reserve funds we have to save are far from enough in order to fully meet our expenditures. 

Therefore, in life, there must always be a bit of anticipation of the future and a sense of crisis to react to the unforeseen.

03

Young people nowadays are easy to fall into overwhelming consumerism. Of course, it is understandable to spend their own money to live a better life, but it is also terrifying to pay too much attention to the immediate satisfaction of the present and not to make long-term plans for the future.

Moreover, the processing of consumer loans and credit cards makes early consumption very easy. If you overdraw tomorrow's money, will you be able to earn it back in the future? Maybe not.

Before buying anything that is not necessary, you might as well ask yourself a few questions:

1. If there is an emergency, are you able to fork out the money?

2. If you suddenly lose your job and cannot find a suitable job for three or four months, can these things be sold for money? Are there any savings to support this tough period?

3. If you or your family members suddenly become ill, can the treatment cost be covered?

If the three answers are no, then every decision not to consume is to delay gratification.

The sense of crisis is that you have to know what you want in the future, or vice versa, know what you don’t want in the future, so you have to do something now.

When there is no good way, stubbornly saving money is the best way. It feels easiest to spend when you save 300 or 500. A new mobile phone or tablet, and a slightly more expensive luxury bag can empty the bank account, but there is a sense of frustration that it feels too little to be saved or there is no need to save it.

Don't give up at this stage, grit your teeth and stick to it. When the deposit reaches 10,000, many people will start to feel a little bit reluctant to spend. For the Moonlight Clan, it is a sense of accomplishment.

Later, I gradually got used to the feeling of saving money, and I saved up to 20,000 and more. Seeing the base making money.

When it becomes more and more, it becomes easier to save money. Because your mentality has changed, your outlook on material desire has changed, and your outlook on consumption has changed.


Read also:

The truth about shopping you didn’t know: buying expensive stuff is saving money

Warren Buffett’s 10 classic ideas, learning to think like him

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