All around us we see the American dream of wealth and happiness fading. Many people have seen their dreams of riches shattered by rising debt, loss of income and drastic changes to their lifestyles. The real problem is not with the economy or with the changing times. The problem is that we are a society of compulsive spenders.

Disposable Income

We are surrounded by images on television and film of successful single women and men, living fabulous lives. They live in beautiful homes in which every closet is packed with mouth watering clothes, shoes, and junk of every kind. They have it and we want it.

TV would be pretty boring if it just showed ordinary people living their lives, so the media give us a peak into the lives of the rich and famous, or characters depicting that life. That doesn’t stop us from wanting these things and the sponsors know it. So television commercials and print advertisements push the products even further.

With online shopping available to most people, we no longer have to wait for the stores to open the next day, during which time we may have reconsidered and decided not to buy yet another thing we don’t need. Instant gratification and the ability to buy everything we think we want immediately has helped us to waste money too.

Put Your Money Back in Your Wallet

But all is not lost. Learn to think twice before you spend. If you feel that you must have that special thing, whatever it is, you probably are feeling a loss or some tension in another area of your life. No matter how much money you spend, no purchase will make that feeling go away. This is especially true if the tension is due to debt or other financial issues.

Material things will not make you a better person or solve all your problems. How many items do you have in your closet that you thought would make you happier? We all need money for shelter and food, to pay our daily living expenses like rent, fuel and utilities. Being able to pay these bills gives us security.

The attraction of material things dwindles as you feel more secure, looking after the necessities before the wants.

Spending money on things you cannot afford, no matter how nice they look, will not ease the stress of debt or financial burdens.

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