Quit Pretending

Quit Pretending is a phrase financial guru Dave Ramsey says all the time and I get a kick out of it. I like the hard in your face advice he gives his readers and listeners. (Radio show / Books) What is the premise behind this Quit pretending thinking? It basically means: Stop Living a False life people. Driving a brand new SUV or the many other vehicles while buried under debt is not a good life. Stop trading in those vehicles every three years and continually adding to your debt and financial mess by not holding a car for more than 4, 5, 6+ years. Research shows that as soon as people pay off a car the wanting kicks in and those same people begin to find another new car to replace the old car that was recently paid off. Just doesn’t make any sense.

I crack up when people tell me Hey why are you driving an old car? (1999 Camry) I tell them because that is what I want right now in my life and I do not need anything else to get me from point A to point B. I hate having car payments and debt. I rather save and save instead of making the banks and the car dealers richer. But what will happen if your car breaks down? I’ll go and buy another old car, maybe a 2006 vehicle with better fuel economy than my Camry or maybe another Camry. Ha Ha. I do not want to seem like I am preaching to a bunch of frivolous living people, because that’s how I sound to those people, but if I don’t say something then nobody else will. I am only expressing what I see and hear out there in the streets and social media. Granted nobody is perfect in this life but with small steps you can be closer to it than many others.

Behavior modification takes a lot of work and it all starts by just being content to say “No”.

-Say NO to Yourself and avoid lifestyle inflation.
-Say NO to your Co-Workers who go to happy hour every Thursday and Friday
-Say NO to your Family who doesn’t see the big picture of money management.
-Say NO to the Credit Card Companies hounding you to open a new credit card.
-Say NO to the Dealership sending you junk mail that you are approved for a brand new Car.
-Say NO to your Friends who buy enough Liquor to fill their bathtub up with Booze.
-Say NO to Anybody who is keeping up with the Joneses or the Smith’s.

I hope you can see the big picture of how the Quit pretending lifestyle is really like. That new Mercedes or BMW you recently spotted someone in, statistically 75% of the time that car is a lease. Now we all know the real truth. A lease is one of the worst money mistakes you can make in personal finance. (Unless it is used for a business expense and Tax write off)  Because research shows that the people that can really afford those types of cars usually go out and buy a used 3-4 year old version and avoid the depreciation factor of the new car.

We all can enjoy life by doing things the right way financially. Money management takes a lot of effort and dedication to staying on the right path. Doing things in moderation is better than doing everything under the sun and regretting how much you spent along the path. To sum it all up if you are always intrigued with doing everything and being everywhere, then you are not fulfilled / happy in this life.

Let me know by commenting on how you avoid lifestyle inflation and the Quit Pretending lifestyle.

Rich Uncle EL