What to do while you wait for things to return to normal
Life on earth has never been perfect, but it will be difficult for you to explain it to some people. It is not that they are ignorant. He has selected memories.
Perhaps you can identify if you long for the way things used to be—when jobs were plentiful, mortgages were simple, retirement accounts only went in one direction (above) and students went to their 100-cent-financed college. degree in straight six- figure jobs.
Now that it appears that things are no longer quite right, you have put your life on hold. Unless the stock market bounces again, real estate sales boom, your loan modification is through, or some TV advertisers offer a debt-settlement plan that returns your life the “right” way, Until then you are anxiously trying to hold the floor. ,
can we talk?
Stop looking back. “Normal” may be a setting on your clothes dryer, but it is not an economical condition. Every moment you grieve that things were the way they were is a moment lost in the present. Focus on where you are and plan how you will face the future.
Accept what you cannot change. As hard as it is for some of us to accept the fact that we cannot control everything, this is the truth. If you’ve lost your home or business, or filed for bankruptcy — as terrifying as these events are for you — you can’t change what happened.
Change the things you can. Thankfully, other aspects of your life fall into this category.
These days, it seems that for every letter I receive from a reader who is so full of gratitude that I asked them to get out of debt, to build a contingency fund for emergencies, a freedom for irregular expenses. He was put to death in order to fund and create the account. He makes changes to live below his means, I meet someone who is / Myself sorry for not being around it. The old “this could never happen to me” happens.
Make your plan: If you’re still in credit-card debt, now’s the time to get serious. Indeed! Revisit Chapter 7 of my “Debt-Proof Life” book. Build your fast loan-repayment plan today, and commit to it like you’ve never done before. (What? You’re not familiar with “Date-Proof Living” – the DPL textbook? It’s a change you can and need to make now. Check your local bookstore, library or Amazon.com for a copy.) see com.)
save more: Start growing your savings – your contingency fund, retirement account or other savings vehicle. Even if all you can save now is change in your pocket, do it. Get serious about deducting more than you can imagine so that you have more to save. I predict that in the years to come, if you have one regret it will be that you didn’t save much money.
Downsize: If you find yourself in over your head in a house you can’t afford, it’s time to move. You need to downsize to a house that you can afford. Of course, I don’t know your exact situation, but if you are hanging by a thread hoping that a loan modification will suddenly make your home affordable, think very carefully. And weigh each issue.
Find a job: If you’re not working out because you’ve given up, or you’re holding off on something that fits your idea of ”normal,” then let it go. Reality means a job you can get right now. find a job. Then work on upgrading to a better job.
Headed to college? Gone are the days of fully funded “free” education that you can pay back at a more convenient time. I say it again: get the job.
“F” word: Say them often, and let them be part of your reality: trust, family, and friends. Without my faith, family and friends, I don’t know where I would have been. Develop these things in your life.
I’ve seen over the years that winners accept their own realities. They don’t sit around and wait for things to change. They do what they need to do to make things happen.
What’s more, they don’t yell, they don’t complain and they don’t make excuses.
This column was originally published in 2015. Mary invites you to meet me cheaply every day. com, where this column is stored complete with links and resources to all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments on “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of Everydaycheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “Date-Proof Living.”
