Will that be cash or credit?
|
My life was borrowed. There was a time when I had no concept of the power of cash. Either I had it or I didn't. And if I didn't, I knew I had a credit card - or two - to make up for it. My purchases could range anywhere between $3 to $300+. From a cup of coffee to a day trip at the mall. When I got my statements, I only batted my eyes long enough to be consoled with the relief that I only owed a mere fraction of my balance that was in the thousands. Paying only $100 now meant that I was free to spend my real cash on whatever else I wanted. Living life on one big payment plan was costing me! I never did connect the dots that interest made all of those $3 purchases cost $300 by the time I got around to paying for them. Maybe that math isn't accurate - but it wouldn't surprise me now if it came close. When I was introduced to the cash-envelope system, it made so much sense to me. I could not spend more than the cash I had in my hands. At the register, cash was a finite resource that I had to use wisely - not a shiny piece of plastic that I could swipe frivolously. In those moments, cash made me very aware of its power. It broke the spell of my credit-induced fog. It made me choose in the moment if I really needed another knickknack. If I had the money, I could take it home. If not, I had to put it back. Plain and simple. Credit cards did not hold me to such a standard of self-control. Using cash, good ole cash, I developed disciplines, habits, and traits that money just cannot buy. Yvonne Ruiz Your Cash Coach |