- Jun. 06
- Richard Parker
Common Money Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
Even the people who end up living a financially successful life have probably made plenty of money mistakes along the way. But rather than letting them derail their ambitions, they have learnt from them and avoided making similar errors in the future.
While the financial mistakes that you can make throughout life are varied, there are plenty of common traps out there which all sorts of people fall into. To help you avoid doing the same, let’s check out a few common money mistakes, as well as how to avoid them.
Being Too Influenced by Emotions
When you are making financial decisions, you should be doing so in a way that is rational and sensible. Unfortunately, too many people are swayed by their emotions. And this is exactly what shops and advertisers are trying to achieve. One way of getting around this is by giving yourself some thinking time before making a financial decision. If you are confronted by a product that you think you would like to buy, rather than doing so straight away, give yourself some time to analyse whether it will make a genuine improvement to your life or whether you are just making the choice based on impulse.
Not Asking for Help
When some people find themselves in a difficult financial situation, their first instinct is to cover it up and pretend like it isn’t happening. Rather than doing this, you should be seeking help wherever you can find it. This may be a simple act like talking to your family or friends about what you are going through. It may involve seeking out a personal injury attorney you can trust because you believe that you are entitled to compensation. Successful people realise that they can’t do everything all by themselves and seek help where they can find it.
Constantly Upgrading Lifestyle
There is no doubt that receiving a pay rise is an exciting time in your life. However, rather than immediately making the move to upgrade your lifestyle, you should instead look at the savings and investments which you can make. After all, just because you are in a comfortable financial position now, it doesn’t mean that this will always be the case. The people who prepare themselves for the future are the ones who are much less likely to be the ones who struggle financially.
Not Learning About FInancial Changes
The world of finance is one which changes at a rapid rate, especially since the dawn of the internet. There are all sorts of new ways that you can save and earn money these days which were not around in the past. It is important that you keep track of these changes, so that you can always keep yourself in a strong financial situation.
Making money mistakes is a perfectly natural part of life, but it is learning from them and building a stronger financial future which is what will make all the difference in the long-run.
I have, over the course of my lifetime, made many money mistakes. Sometimes the only way you get better with money is to make the odd mistake here and there – and then determine never to do it again!
I hear you, Bryan! The emotional influence was a considerable factor for much of my increasing debt. Buying things I didn’t need. I still find myself being pulled to extravagant adverts and promotions in store, but it usually only takes a quick glance at the terms and conditions to move me on swiftly!
I combat that by shopping online as much as possible!
Bryan, this does work well with food shopping, I’ve noticed. I don’t see any in-store offers, and there’s no emphasis on BOGOF or 3 for 2 silly offers!
Guys, you’ve both got it spot on. We need to learn from our mistakes, open our eyes to exactly what we’re spending our hard-earned money on and make a change. I applaud you both.