Handling fear of Money
By Matt - Thursday, February 12th, 2009
Being scared of your financial situation and money doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily scared of a pile of coins. For me having a fear of money revolves around having your life controled by your finances. For example if you’re in debt and collection agencies are calling you might be hesitant to pick up the phone. Another example is living from paycheck to paycheck not knowing exactly how you’re going to pay for your lifestyle. For me this hesitation and fear is what I am refering to as having a fear of money.
First off I want to admit that I am still living from paycheck to paycheck and althought I am getting caught up now I did end up getting some collection calls not that long ago. I knew what the calls were about yet I still wasn’t able to get everything in order. I am to some extent still a bit afraid of my money situation. My fear now isn’t how am I going to pay for everything but finding a way to get out of living from paycheck to paycheck. The reality is that this might continue to be the case for a couple months until my wife goes back to work.
How do I handle the fear?
Emotions – I understand that my emotions are going to influence my decisions and I have to keep this in mind. If you’re getting a collections call getting upset at the person on the phone doesn’t help you at all – they’re just doing their job. You’re just upset with yourself and there is no need to take it out on them.
Facts – remembering that emotions are involved go back to the basics – the facts. I keep track of all my spending so I can see where my money is going. If I have to I can alter my spending to get more money
Lifestyle – The reality is my lifestyle dictatates my financial situation. I have grown accustomed to certain things and because the situation isn’t dire I choose not to change anything. But I know that the choices are mine and I can alter the situation, I have the ability to change my lifestyle to control the money.
Help – When it comes to money I really don’t like asking for help it makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong or I’m inadequate and I’m sure that a lot of people are in the same boat. The truth is you need to admit when you need help. For me I turn to my wife – she’s far better at controlling her spending and paying her bills before everything else. When in doubt seek help.
I started this site about two and a half years ago and although a lot about my financial situation has changed a lot also has not. Part of this is my fears around money and actually getting them under control. Sometimes the day to day aspects of life really bog me down and I get lost in the details, when that happens I go to a few sites and get inspired by other peoples successes. Specifically I use Tricia’s Blogging Away Debt because of the success she’s had and the fact that she’s now almost debt free.
Inspire yourself and you can get over your fears.
This entry is filed under Commentary, Debt, Financial Situation.
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