Patience is More than a Virtue

You can have anything you want, but you may have to wait for it. In this microwave culture where nothing seems to come fast enough people don't like being told to wait. Think about it though, if you can do without some of the "stuff" now there's a much better chance you can have all the stuff you want later.

People get themselves into trouble by thinking that whatever it is they want, they have to have it now. This time of year delayed gratification can be especially tricky as shopping & spending is in the air. You go out to buy a sweater for your sister and you see a pair of pants that would be perfect with that blouse in the back of your closet. Or you go to pick up a video game for your friend and you see that big, beautiful flat panel t.v. you've been craving. And look! They have a special -- no payments until June 2008! How can you not splurge on yourself? No one else is going to buy you a $1,200 t.v. and besides, you've worked so hard this year, you really deserve to treat yourself.

Well, if you have to take the store up on their delayed payment offer, you can't afford the television. By running up your credit card balance you're saying that right now you don't have enough money to pay for what you want, but by June 2008 you'll have the money. Guess what else will happen by June 2008? A new version of your t.v. will be out -- bigger & shinier with features yours doesn't have. But you're just starting to pay for the one you had to have six months earlier. Disappointed, you send the credit card company their money, while you fume because the t.v. you really want is in the store on the shelf.

Here's the thing: You actually can afford the t.v.. You can afford whatever you want. It's all a matter of choice, of choosing when to spend your money and when to save it. If you choose to spend your extra cash on new shoes, DVDs, or toys each weekend then you're choosing to afford shoes, movies, & toys. However, if you choose to hold off on smaller impulse purchases and instead put that saved money toward a larger purchase (like that t.v.) then you wouldn't have to worry about how you're really going to pay for it when the credit card bill comes.

One of my favorite purchases is my mattress. I got a discount on it and it still cost $1,500. Since I knew what I wanted and how much it cost, I worked my future mattress into my budget. By the time I went to actually buy it I had saved enough to pay cash. I doubt that if I had bought a mattress on credit I would have paid so much, but by waiting and saving I ended up with a top quality mattress that I sleep soundly on every night. Granted the quality of the mattress helps the quality of my sleep, but what really helps me sleep better is knowing that I won't be receiving a bill I can't pay for something I cannot return.