A Word about Personal Finances

A word about personal Finances:

What you make is YOUR business. It isn't anyone else's.  It doesn't matter if you make 100,000 a year, or 50,000 a year, or 18,000 a year.  

What you spend (or not spend) is also YOUR business. Times are tough right now, but they won't always be, and for some who have kept their jobs and their savings, the economic downturn has been sort of a rethinking time period.  People have asked themselves, "Do I really need a fourth car, or can I get up a few minutes early to drive the kids to school, the way I did the rest of their education?" They're asking themselves, "Do I need an expensive birthday party every year, or do I get what I need out of getting some friends together to eat some cake?" "Do I want a bigger house, or do I actually, in my heart-of-hearts, get tired of cleaning it?"  "Would the money I save by not eating out offer more reassurance if it were in a savings account?" "Is it still worth taking that vacation if it means that I have to get rid of my magazine subscriptions, club membership, and Internet connection? If it really is worth it, then what do I fill my time with when I get rid of those less important items?" It's a time when people are doing some self-assessment, regardless of income level. 

People are re-assessing their status quo, whether they've lost their job or kept it. People are examining what is important, whether they can "afford it" or not. What you feel you can afford or save or spend is up to YOU. 

That being said, it's ok to not spend money even if you make more than your friends.  And it's ok to spend money (assuming you have it to spend) even if you make less than your friends. Your money is YOUR money; you don't owe your neighbors an explanation.  

That's why its called PERSONAL finace.  Because it's personal.