I had a chance to eavesdrop and start thinking about what makes you a financial success?
Last night was a writing night. I headed to Starbucks in the late afternoon to spend focused time writing without interruptions. Hallelujah for a quiet space away from home!
Near the end of my time, I was transcribing some notes so I didn’t need to think about the task at hand. Instead, I got to eavesdrop on the people next to me. They were young twenty-something friends, a man and a woman. Friends — they didn’t appear to be romantically involved. They were catching up with how things were.
I didn’t hear everything. I’m not that big of a snoop, but what I heard showed me that they were both honest, single, hardworking folk trying to make life good for themselves and for others.
The conversation turned to homes. The guy was lamenting the fact that he didn’t own a home. All his co-workers were buying houses and what kind of failure was he that he was still renting.
She immediately went into debate mode:
That doesn’t make you a failure. Having a mortgage does not make you a success. They have bills. They have huge mortgages. Cash is king. You’re better off having money in the bank than plunking it down in a house. Our generation cannot measure success by the owning of a home.
Her counsel continued in the same vein and eventually I was motivated to pipe up. Of course, I apologized for eavesdropping and interrupting, but I couldn’t be quiet when I was so encouraged by what she was saying. We had a lovely chat, and the woman was thrilled that I chimed in to take up her cause. He needed to be encouraged that his hard work was not all in vain.
Now, I’m not going to debate the buy-versus-rent issue, though I do have quite a few opinions. Another time, perhaps.
But, the doing what everyone else is doing?
Measuring success by an inaccurate and potentially outdated yardstick?
Basing your financial goals on all the other fish in the stream?
Yeah, not good financial moves. Don’t buy the lies that you need to follow the crowd. Instead,
- set some goals based on you and your family
- take financial inventory and get your house in order
- have money meetings with the folks that matter
- and just be you
Whether you own or rent, your mode of housing is NOT a measure of your success. What you do with what you got in the place God has put you does.
So, whaddya think?
What do YOU base your financial success on?
This is Frugal Friday. In an effort to make these weekly financial discussions more interactive, I’m no longer posting a link-up. Feel free to leave a link. But better yet, chat with us in the comments.
What Makes You a Financial Success? (Frugal Friday) is a post from: Life As Mom. © Jessica Getskow Fisher - All rights reserved.
Ever heard of The Whole 30? It's a nutritional reset and restricted diet to help you heal your body and help you determine which foods might be giving you trouble. I started about a week ago and am daily blogging my experience eating dairy-, soy-, grain-, sugar-, and alcohol-free. And it's not too bad. Need some encouragement to try an elimination diet? You can follow my progress here.