Dressin’ up with your money

We had an awesome time walking around our neighborhood last night trick-or-treating.  Our kids are at great ages to enjoy the whole production of choosing a costume and dressing up.  Oh yeah, and the candy might be a motivator as well.

But let’s be honest, the cuteness wears off about age 12.  Maybe you can get away with it for another few years, but the group of 15 – 17 year olds that throw the mask on and think they’re geniuses because they just loaded up on smarties and dumdums…bravo.  Suggestion – go to Sam’s and buy a 24 pack of Snickers and leave the mask at home…we’ll all be better for it.

At some point we grow up and leave the masks and pillow cases at home.  And while it’s easy to see the lunacy of high school trick-or-treating, many of us are doing the same thing with our money.  We don’t act our wage.  We buy things we can’t afford.  We try to convince the world we’re someone else…someone who actually can afford that car or that house.  Someone who can afford that vacation or those clothes.

If you can, great!  If you can’t, then don’t.  It will leave you in a world of hurt in the long-run.  The two areas that tend to give people problems are housing and vehicles. If you can stay within your means in these two areas, it typically gives you more freedom and flexibility in the rest of your budget.

Remember, you’re an adult.  It’s time to make big boy decisions.  Your Freddy Krueger mask was really cool 15 years ago.  It’s not now .