How to be Debt-Free
Why does one fall in Debt?
-Because one tends to spend more than one Actually Earns, thus having to make "up from the next months salary or by borrowing money or buying on credit, the relief is temporary. It jumps back at you soon enough and there you are….back to square one again!
So what to do?! How to be free?
-Freedom comes at a price and that price you have got to pay….not with money but just using your common-sense and enterprise.
Make a mind-map on a piece of paper…..start by writing in the centre…”I AM”…
Circle that statement….then draw straight-small lines from the circle outwards and write relevant words like….”Man/Woman”, ‘Happy/sad’, old/young’ e.t.c
Then carry on extending each small line from a word till you have sub-words and their subs ….this will give you a very clear picture of your situation….and surely….there will be some place where….DEBT will feature……and that will trace back its cause to many other subs that you have already written down…..
So now you actually KNOW who you are, what your situation is, what you are up to, what have been doing and what you are about to do…….some of this information will surprise you pleasantly as things which you never thought about before will surface. Thus you are in a better position to know yourself from this self-analytical exercise.
*Now lets get to the core of the problem…..and what is it? Is it that you never have enough money to spend and more importantly to pay your dues? NO!! The core is the
Way you THINK! There are people who never save a paisa and never think of tomorrow…just living life the way they think fit…just living without a care…..this is in one way, an irresponsible behavior and luck may shortly run out paving the way for misfortune.
So let’s start a plan of action….
If you are an independent person who is not supported by parents or other sources and who has to run the cost of having a family, house, vehicle, loans, purchases e.t.c then you have to minimize unwanted expenditure…..that includes cutting costs.
What are the expenses that you can cut out or spend less on…in your daily life?
--1. Occasions and Festivities: These events bring a little joy in our lives. One dresses well…new clothes, shoes, jewelry, decoration , paint for the house, arranging a party ….buying gifts…if you are attending someone else’s function, fireworks, sweets, music, electricity, drinks….the list never ends…..
STOP!!!
This just wont do……no it won’t!!
…
I am not asking you to stop celebrating….just to stop this unwanted over-pompous lifestyle…..and why? Simple----because you cannot afford it….you just cant…
Just observe main festivals and family birthdays…..minimize your guest list……prepare just a few but tasty and delicious looking food-items….so that people can say it was a small and simple but tasty meal and thank you for the same. What is the use in wasting food?
Make it a point to avoid alcohol totally….it will set a good precedent for the future ….remember….its YOUR party…..you chose what you serve….….Make home-made lemonade and orange juice e.t.c for the children ….simple-vegetarian soup will be a nice warm drink for adults in the winter evenings…..black-lemon tea is a nice option too…..Cook the food at home…..prepare the ingredients a few hours in advance. Vegetable Pulao / Biryani, (economic rice) vegetable-curry and a dry vegetable dish with boiled mix vegetables and a fresh beetroot /coriander /cabbage and onion salad and banana custard or a fruit bowl for desert will be a great party.
Have soft background recorded music….minimal lighting in your house or garden / backyard…..save by not hiring a restaurant or party-hall…..
Keep a track of the gifts you receive…..and who has given them….you are obliged and you have to return the favor…..not necessarily with the same kind of gift or expense but don’t forget to return the favor even if you can manage a small inexpensive gift or a bouquet of flowers. It will build the relationship.
Domestic expenses…..chuck out unwanted things at home….they add up to the clutter…sell old newspapers to the scrap-collectors…..even if you get 20 rupees for a pile of old-papers….its 20 rupees all right and can buy you a kilo and a half of modest rice.
Old Toys, scrap, broken electronics and such articles will also fetch a small bonus to your savings.
Buy a Cycle….its the best investment you can ever make…..in these days of smoke-pollution and soaring fuel-prices you will be doing a big favor to your budget, your health and that of others, your stress will decrease and you will be happy with nature as she will be too when you find more time to stare at the fields time and again when the roads are clear…..you also stand a better chance of surviving and avoiding accidents…..you average cycling speed is 10 kilometers per hour….that’s safe….
Of course …one cant rule out the possibility of a head on collision or a rear end one or just any possibly blistering accident but that’s a small risk you take for being on the road…
At times…..avoid the cycle too…as your legs need the benefits that walking gives…..
Minimize the car and motorbike driving…..minimize Bus and train journeys….they are not hygienic and you have to dance to the tunes of the conductor…..only fly by plane if its extremely necessary……
Try to have your meals at home as much as possible…..save on outside food.
Drink previously-boiled water or kanji if you feel thirsty….save on alcoholic drinks and
Aerated drinks….even coffee and tea are expensive and addictive…..
Stop Smoking! ….That never really helped anyone….I don’t have to tell you that cigarette smoking is habit forming and cuts a hole in your pocket and your lungs much before you know it…..it also makes you an offender and health-menace to the people in your immediate neighborhood…..
Stay next to the fire-place when you boil the milk…..Turn the lights off in your house or control the dimmers on the regulator at home.
Save electricity; reduce your bills. Turn off the TV/stereo other elec. Appliances when not needed. Save Water….turn off the taps properly and repair the flushing apparatus on commodes in the bathroom. Good clean potable water has to be saved.
If you have some spare money …say like a few thousands……it’s better to invest in Gold-Bars…..remember ….it will save you in times of emergency as Gold hardly ever loses its economic value unlike Cash.
Start from today to set up miniscule-separate funds by dividing
1. Debt (a few rupees every day or a few spare coins in a piggy-bank….you will soon be surprised to see your debt-reducing and this will take care of the loan at the end of the month….)
2. Charity (help your fellow-earthlings who are not as fortunate as you)
3. Personal-Fund (This is for festivals, gifts, emergency house-hold expenses and health-problems)
4. Wallet-(this small eco-friendly upper-pocket of your shirt or side/back pockets of your trousers doubles up as your wallet. Just keep a little more money here than you actually need…but spend with caution.
5. Monthly-expense (keep detailed records of your past, present and tentative future compulsory expenses…..these include….light/water/gas/fuel/insurance/loans/milkman/servant/vegetable/fruit bills)
6. Maintain at least 2 saving bank-accounts. Keep 1000 rupees as your bank-balance in each at least……don’t even think of withdrawing it unless its an emergency…..make sure this 1000 remains in your bank balance at least till the last day of the month…..Sometimes when you run short of money…..this amount will be your savior….even though you will be able to withdraw only rupees 500…(some banks let you withdraw the whole balance via ATM Cash-card,)
7. Be kind but limited to family and others….. Give only the minimum pocket-money to your children and a few coins or eats to beggars. More than anything else…be kind to yourself. Have meals and water on time. Avoid medication for
Problems like head-ache/toothache/mild-pain and such maladies…instead try to get to the core of the problem by living a healthy and hygienic life. All problems then will cease.
8. Surrender you’re Credit-Card. You don’t know ….its a time-bomb in your pocket!
9. Sleep and rest well. Hope for the best and your Molded-Destiny will do the rest!
5.55 pm Panaji, Goa India. Poetry-kiddo.[email protected]
*P.S There are numerous other ways to save money......you can paint your own fence and garden-wall, Weed-out and mow the lawn, stitch broken sandals/shoes/bags fix old zips ….run your own errands, iron your own clothes, shave your own beard, do your own hair.....wash your car, wash your cycle, wash your bike.....there you save about 200 rupees a month.
Take a morning/evening walk down the lane....reflect on your life.....think of the good its done you.....think about how you are about to make it better.....meditate....observe everything that you see or do with a little more attention....you will be surprised to see that Ants are an intelligent community....that the Cockroach has survived longer than any one on this Planet, that the fruit of trees are just ripening for you to Eat...that the crispy vegetables are an unparallel treat ...
That there is a strange but cheerful new smile on every new face that you greet....
that the fields are aglow with the color of golden wheat......that the sky is bluer than the bluest of blue.....and light as the lightest blue.....that the Sun and moon are shining at just the right angle and warming and cooling you.....that your departed dear-souls are smiling down at you in benevolence .....That the future of your children is warmly lit in your child’s eyes....feel their innocence.....their happiness is yours and yours; theirs.....have patience.....
make your own music, sing your hearts song if you don’t have money to buy a musical instrument...who needs one when you have your voice.....listen to the birds and learn by imitating if you don’t know to sing......be kind to the cows/pigs and fish and all other kinds of beasts you like to eat....it will save their lives and your own will prolong in a naturally healthy way.....read the ancient books ......they speak of love and kindness to everyone on this planet....
Drop your excess baggage, be free....the way that you really should be!
Why does one fall in Debt?
-Because one tends to spend more than one Actually Earns, thus having to make "up from the next months salary or by borrowing money or buying on credit, the relief is temporary. It jumps back at you soon enough and there you are….back to square one again!
So what to do?! How to be free?
-Freedom comes at a price and that price you have got to pay….not with money but just using your common-sense and enterprise.
Make a mind-map on a piece of paper…..start by writing in the centre…”I AM”…
Circle that statement….then draw straight-small lines from the circle outwards and write relevant words like….”Man/Woman”, ‘Happy/sad’, old/young’ e.t.c
Then carry on extending each small line from a word till you have sub-words and their subs ….this will give you a very clear picture of your situation….and surely….there will be some place where….DEBT will feature……and that will trace back its cause to many other subs that you have already written down…..
So now you actually KNOW who you are, what your situation is, what you are up to, what have been doing and what you are about to do…….some of this information will surprise you pleasantly as things which you never thought about before will surface. Thus you are in a better position to know yourself from this self-analytical exercise.
*Now lets get to the core of the problem…..and what is it? Is it that you never have enough money to spend and more importantly to pay your dues? NO!! The core is the
Way you THINK! There are people who never save a paisa and never think of tomorrow…just living life the way they think fit…just living without a care…..this is in one way, an irresponsible behavior and luck may shortly run out paving the way for misfortune.
So let’s start a plan of action….
If you are an independent person who is not supported by parents or other sources and who has to run the cost of having a family, house, vehicle, loans, purchases e.t.c then you have to minimize unwanted expenditure…..that includes cutting costs.
What are the expenses that you can cut out or spend less on…in your daily life?
--1. Occasions and Festivities: These events bring a little joy in our lives. One dresses well…new clothes, shoes, jewelry, decoration , paint for the house, arranging a party ….buying gifts…if you are attending someone else’s function, fireworks, sweets, music, electricity, drinks….the list never ends…..
STOP!!!
This just wont do……no it won’t!!
…
I am not asking you to stop celebrating….just to stop this unwanted over-pompous lifestyle…..and why? Simple----because you cannot afford it….you just cant…
Just observe main festivals and family birthdays…..minimize your guest list……prepare just a few but tasty and delicious looking food-items….so that people can say it was a small and simple but tasty meal and thank you for the same. What is the use in wasting food?
Make it a point to avoid alcohol totally….it will set a good precedent for the future ….remember….its YOUR party…..you chose what you serve….….Make home-made lemonade and orange juice e.t.c for the children ….simple-vegetarian soup will be a nice warm drink for adults in the winter evenings…..black-lemon tea is a nice option too…..Cook the food at home…..prepare the ingredients a few hours in advance. Vegetable Pulao / Biryani, (economic rice) vegetable-curry and a dry vegetable dish with boiled mix vegetables and a fresh beetroot /coriander /cabbage and onion salad and banana custard or a fruit bowl for desert will be a great party.
Have soft background recorded music….minimal lighting in your house or garden / backyard…..save by not hiring a restaurant or party-hall…..
Keep a track of the gifts you receive…..and who has given them….you are obliged and you have to return the favor…..not necessarily with the same kind of gift or expense but don’t forget to return the favor even if you can manage a small inexpensive gift or a bouquet of flowers. It will build the relationship.
Domestic expenses…..chuck out unwanted things at home….they add up to the clutter…sell old newspapers to the scrap-collectors…..even if you get 20 rupees for a pile of old-papers….its 20 rupees all right and can buy you a kilo and a half of modest rice.
Old Toys, scrap, broken electronics and such articles will also fetch a small bonus to your savings.
Buy a Cycle….its the best investment you can ever make…..in these days of smoke-pollution and soaring fuel-prices you will be doing a big favor to your budget, your health and that of others, your stress will decrease and you will be happy with nature as she will be too when you find more time to stare at the fields time and again when the roads are clear…..you also stand a better chance of surviving and avoiding accidents…..you average cycling speed is 10 kilometers per hour….that’s safe….
Of course …one cant rule out the possibility of a head on collision or a rear end one or just any possibly blistering accident but that’s a small risk you take for being on the road…
At times…..avoid the cycle too…as your legs need the benefits that walking gives…..
Minimize the car and motorbike driving…..minimize Bus and train journeys….they are not hygienic and you have to dance to the tunes of the conductor…..only fly by plane if its extremely necessary……
Try to have your meals at home as much as possible…..save on outside food.
Drink previously-boiled water or kanji if you feel thirsty….save on alcoholic drinks and
Aerated drinks….even coffee and tea are expensive and addictive…..
Stop Smoking! ….That never really helped anyone….I don’t have to tell you that cigarette smoking is habit forming and cuts a hole in your pocket and your lungs much before you know it…..it also makes you an offender and health-menace to the people in your immediate neighborhood…..
Stay next to the fire-place when you boil the milk…..Turn the lights off in your house or control the dimmers on the regulator at home.
Save electricity; reduce your bills. Turn off the TV/stereo other elec. Appliances when not needed. Save Water….turn off the taps properly and repair the flushing apparatus on commodes in the bathroom. Good clean potable water has to be saved.
If you have some spare money …say like a few thousands……it’s better to invest in Gold-Bars…..remember ….it will save you in times of emergency as Gold hardly ever loses its economic value unlike Cash.
Start from today to set up miniscule-separate funds by dividing
1. Debt (a few rupees every day or a few spare coins in a piggy-bank….you will soon be surprised to see your debt-reducing and this will take care of the loan at the end of the month….)
2. Charity (help your fellow-earthlings who are not as fortunate as you)
3. Personal-Fund (This is for festivals, gifts, emergency house-hold expenses and health-problems)
4. Wallet-(this small eco-friendly upper-pocket of your shirt or side/back pockets of your trousers doubles up as your wallet. Just keep a little more money here than you actually need…but spend with caution.
5. Monthly-expense (keep detailed records of your past, present and tentative future compulsory expenses…..these include….light/water/gas/fuel/insurance/loans/milkman/servant/vegetable/fruit bills)
6. Maintain at least 2 saving bank-accounts. Keep 1000 rupees as your bank-balance in each at least……don’t even think of withdrawing it unless its an emergency…..make sure this 1000 remains in your bank balance at least till the last day of the month…..Sometimes when you run short of money…..this amount will be your savior….even though you will be able to withdraw only rupees 500…(some banks let you withdraw the whole balance via ATM Cash-card,)
7. Be kind but limited to family and others….. Give only the minimum pocket-money to your children and a few coins or eats to beggars. More than anything else…be kind to yourself. Have meals and water on time. Avoid medication for
Problems like head-ache/toothache/mild-pain and such maladies…instead try to get to the core of the problem by living a healthy and hygienic life. All problems then will cease.
8. Surrender you’re Credit-Card. You don’t know ….its a time-bomb in your pocket!
9. Sleep and rest well. Hope for the best and your Molded-Destiny will do the rest!
5.55 pm Panaji, Goa India. Poetry-kiddo.[email protected]
*P.S There are numerous other ways to save money......you can paint your own fence and garden-wall, Weed-out and mow the lawn, stitch broken sandals/shoes/bags fix old zips ….run your own errands, iron your own clothes, shave your own beard, do your own hair.....wash your car, wash your cycle, wash your bike.....there you save about 200 rupees a month.
Take a morning/evening walk down the lane....reflect on your life.....think of the good its done you.....think about how you are about to make it better.....meditate....observe everything that you see or do with a little more attention....you will be surprised to see that Ants are an intelligent community....that the Cockroach has survived longer than any one on this Planet, that the fruit of trees are just ripening for you to Eat...that the crispy vegetables are an unparallel treat ...
That there is a strange but cheerful new smile on every new face that you greet....
that the fields are aglow with the color of golden wheat......that the sky is bluer than the bluest of blue.....and light as the lightest blue.....that the Sun and moon are shining at just the right angle and warming and cooling you.....that your departed dear-souls are smiling down at you in benevolence .....That the future of your children is warmly lit in your child’s eyes....feel their innocence.....their happiness is yours and yours; theirs.....have patience.....
make your own music, sing your hearts song if you don’t have money to buy a musical instrument...who needs one when you have your voice.....listen to the birds and learn by imitating if you don’t know to sing......be kind to the cows/pigs and fish and all other kinds of beasts you like to eat....it will save their lives and your own will prolong in a naturally healthy way.....read the ancient books ......they speak of love and kindness to everyone on this planet....
Drop your excess baggage, be free....the way that you really should be!
This is you!
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