Michelle Alexander
Staying Steady in The Year of Action

Staying on course when you embark on any endeavor is challenging and the personal finance arena is no different and sometimes is tougher. However, you want to always STAND up for your goals and do not let others, throw you off your financial game. It is so easy to get caught up in our emotions of wants and desires that we splurge on things when we shouldn't, buy things before our pockets are ready, treat ourselves because we are living life. So when someone urges you to treat yourself, stand up against them and your emotions for your why and goals and stay on course.
You want to remember the why when these situations come up because they occur often. Some people thought it was excessive of me to keep my car for 16-years, but I always remembered my why and did not give into peer pressure. Do you want to retire with no debt or be like the woman on the episode of good times who had to supplement her groceries with dog food. Yes, this was a real episode. I knew even as a child, I did not want that to be me. I know that there are many places where you can receive free food these days, but that was not the case when that episode aired. I still like the idea of retiring with no debt and choose to REMEMBER my why daily. Your future self will thank you.
To assist you in staying steady and remembering your goals, you should always be willing to take the time to LEARN new things and ways to better your situation. I know most people are visual and love to watch to learn things, but sometimes reading helps you to absorb and retain the information better. Read more topics on personal finance even if it is on a topic that you feel you already know. Sometimes I learn another way of handling an area of budgeting, saving, or repaying a debt when reading something written in a different way. The nice part is I get to share this new information with you all. Even if you are not in the most dire of circumstances, there is always something that can be done better or done more often to advance your savings, decrease your debt, and build wealth.
Stand up for your finances, remember why are sacrificing instead of splurging, and remember that the decisions you make today, will surely affect your tomorrow. Remember why.
Happy Savings!