Not everybody is a business genius but by limiting your expenses you can get ahead and become a millionaire on a middle class or lower income with a few wise practices. I know because I have done it.
Most people do not realize where their money is going because they have been conditioned to expect a certain consumer lifestyle that matches their income. Some cannot leave the house without buying something. Pretty soon they find the house cluttered with junk they have no place for and end up selling it for pennies on the dollar at garage sales or donating it for a small deduction from taxes.
Or worse, paying storage fees that eventually exceed the value of the stuff. Sometimes you are better off long term donating it.
So many people do not have enough money to retire on. And yet you hear stories of people who made minimal incomes who ended up being millionaires by saving money and keeping their expenses low.
Once one reaches a certain level of savings you can live off the interest. There needs to be a balance since becoming a fanatical penny pincher is no fun either.
Things like large cable bills, cell phone bills, fancy club memberships, expensive car payments and large houses can drain finances down to zero at the end of every month.
The list is long and would shock people if they totaled it up.
Food and drink can be a major expense unless managed wisely. Restaurants are a big drain on budgets when you add up the monthly cost. Drinking in bars is another one with huge markups on alcohol. $13 drinks are not uncommon in my area and people do not consider the tax and tip making it $16. That is often more than the meal cost and you can see the look on their faces when the check comes!
I am not saying to you should not go out but learn how to reduce the cost and still have a top quality meal.
Some people only live for the moment and it is sad to see them later on in life living out of their car.
You never know when a job could be lost through no fault of ones own and are one paycheck from being homeless.
Many young people are having a hard time finding jobs even with an expensive education. Education is another expense that can get out of hand ending up with large debt burdens that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. There is a joke that Bin Laden would have been found a lot quicker if he had a student loan.
Borrowing money, especially on credit cards can be deadly to budgets, especially with 21% interest rates! You see a lot of older people working past retirement age at places like Walmart because they did not save much money. Not even enough for one emergency like a health problem. Medical bills bankrupt a lot of people not to mention the high deductibles on health plans now. So give me an upvote if you want to see more on this subject since 78% of people making $50,000 year do not have $1000 cash for emergencies. Even 38% of $100,000 a year earners do not have $1000 cash. I am considering writing a series of articles on how to get ahead of the rat race and put cash in the bank if enough people feel it would be helpful to them.
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