The Verdict is In: Not Guilty
One of the problems that sometimes keeps me from revising my budget is the guilt that accumulates the longer I put it off. I always think I’m becoming my father, who didn’t want to go to the hospital because they might tell him he was sick. Ignoring it never makes it go away!
Doug Nordman, Navy Veteran and author of The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement, guides military families to financial independence based on limited military pay & benefits. Doug says that his biggest tip for non-money people trying to conquer financial success is to start by knowing what you’ve got so you can remove guilt from the equation and have a saving incentive.
“Make a spending plan that lines up with your values and then track spending instead of wondering where the money goes (or feeling guilty about your debts). Feel proud of yourself for spending money on the things that you value. Before long you’ll stop wasting money on the things you don’t care about and begin saving as much as you can.”
Curbing truly damaging spending habits can be more difficult to overcome. Our next expert gives us some tips about how to crush even the most difficult off-budget purchasing desires.
