You may not even realize it, but your friends are constantly sabotaging your budget. They are sharing their happy moments, but it encourages you to overspend your budget.
Picture this: it’s a typical evening and you are browsing through your Facebook feed.
It probably looks something like this:
- Pictures of Jane in some tropical destination. Again.
{I need a vacation. I wish I could go to the beach!} - Go Fund Me for the daughter of a friend with a health issue.
{How can I not donate? It’s a sick kid!} - Kara is racing for the cure for ____ disease in honor of a friend suffering of said disease.
{It’s a friend of a friend, maybe I can skip this one?} - Sarah is having a jewelry/organizing bags/candle/_____ party this weekend.
{She says I don’t have to buy anything, but then I’ll feel bad if I go and don’t buy.} - Jessica sells essential oils and is having a great sale if you buy now! You’ll get ____ for free!
{Everyone is into these essential oils, maybe I should see what all the fuss is?} - The latest family picture of your co-worker and their kids–complete with matching outfits, accessories, and cute shoes.
{I have three kids and we’ve never done family photos. Insert mom guilt here.}
Does this sound familiar? How can we compete with all these calls for our money?
It breeds discontent. Even if you are feeling secure in your finances, you can quickly feel defeated when you see what everyone else is doing.
Table of Contents
Know What Matters To You
With so many causes competing for your attention, focus on the causes that you believe in. Don’t feel obligated to give to every cause that comes in front of you.
Never Lose Sight Of Your Goals
What are you working toward? Paying off debt? Building an emergency fund? Buying a home?
If you don’t have a financial goal, you need to set one. Learn why you need a financial goal in this post.
When something is nagging you to spend your hard-earned money, weigh it against your goal. Are you willing to give up the possibility of being debt-free (or whatever your goal is) to support a friend’s jewelry/organizing bags/cosmetics side business?
Know your financial goals and what’s important to YOU. Everything else is just noise getting in the way of your goals.
Make your goals a priority.
Keeping Up With The Joneses
How often do you get pangs of guilt or jealousy? I know it happens to me quite a bit.
We see the adventures others are having and we want the same adventures.We see the trendy clothes or newest gadgets they buy for their kids and suddenly the cute outfit you bought from Target on clearance doesn’t seem good enough.
You may even feel like you’ve let your family or kids down because they don’t have the things their friends have.
Practice Contentment
Your lifestyle is just that: YOURS. Stop feeling bitter and resentful over what you can’t have.
Everyone chooses to spend money on what matters to them and their lifestyle. Their money choices may not be the right financial choice for you.
APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE.
BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU CAN PROVIDE.
IT IS GOOD ENOUGH.
