More Money Won’t Solve Your Financial Problems If Your Habits Suck
Everyone wants more money. We believe that more money means less stress. Except that this is not always the case. If your habits suck, making more money simply means you have to spend more.
Personal finance site The Smarter Dollar surveyed 73 readers and found that 40% said their biggest money problem was “not having enough money.” While this is a real problem for many people, the site states that in many cases, not having “enough money” can actually cause a perception problem:
What exactly will make you more money? Happiness? Less stress? Pride? “Just having more money” won’t make a damn difference to your happiness and your stress levels … Wondering how I know that? Because I know everyone who answered, and 90% of you make over $ 50,000 a year.
For reference, the median income in the US as of 2014 is $ 51,939, although it is much lower for most states individually. In fact, $ 50,000 is enough to be considered middle class in every single state . Of course, everyone’s situation is different – for example, $ 50,000 in New York won’t be much, no matter what the state median is – but in a broader sense: “I don’t have enough money. “- this is the same problem of perception as the financial one.
Instead of saying you don’t have “enough” money, The Simpler Dollar suggests taking stock of your situation and figuring out what you need . How much money are you making versus your spending? Where you can cut your basic spending to increase your savings income . If you are striving for a certain lifestyle, how much money will you need to make it work?
Most of us rarely answer these questions, instead leading a lifestyle that is independent of our financial capabilities. However, once you decide how much life you want to buy, you can determine exactly how much money you really need. Then you can start to solve the problem by making more money until you have “enough.”
73 Major Financial Problems of Readers and Ways to Solve Them | Smarter Dollar Via Rockstar Finance