Have you ever noticed just how much mathematics play a role and factor in life every day? If you have not, give time and experience a chance to prove this fact to you too.
Mathematics is a subject requirement not only in school curriculum but one of those major subjects that you will use and apply more frequently in life than you can potentially imagine when first learning to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
In psychology and even in personality or employee assessments, a math number becomes assigned to you of your positive or negative attributes as well. Hard to believe that a number can and will label you and reward or take away from your life depending on your personal perceptions and interactions with numbers and mathematics - but it is true.
A Person I Use to Know has always enjoyed the challenges of solving math. From the earliest days of memory, math was something to be explored and conquered to solve. Math was tangible. Math was honest. Math was valuable - even if - it was only adding a 1+1 to equal 2.
But math spoke so much deeper than that. Because if math could be applied to solve numeric problems then anything that life would toss a person one could be just as persistent in learning new things to solve circumstances as well. This person was me. A math freak in a sense.
But learning to apply math in a moral or lawful understanding was the hardest reality and facts to swallow about myself. For the unhealthiness I had witnessed growing up with money taught me many things and traits I had to shed myself.
To admit that I could let this bill go this month and pay it next month to make up for late charges just seemed like a good, fast solution at the moments of impulsiveness until the late charges increased a bill more than I needed to be paying but it was through impulsiveness and prior bad acts that I did this for many years.
It personally took me a very long time to realize that I did not need to meet a social acceptance standard by having credit cards or irresponsible high finance charges just to have nicer, newer or more luxury materials. I didn't have to spend money to go out to socialize, for those who really cared, would meet me in the middle of geography or come to my home instead.
When in factual reality, my biggest problems for years was that I needed to accept and be thankful for what I already had and what my true figures of money were to work with and make them effectively work for me. Not in the impulsiveness or prior bad unhealthy behaviors I had done with money.
Math teaches us more than we realize about our self, family and our homes. It tells us alot about the character of who we are by the way we spend our money too. You can not be an honest person if you can not manage, control and handle the finances you have. You can not extend yourself financially by living for what you wish they were or by going in debt to cover debt that you can responsibly pay for. Dishonesty and fakeness shows it true colors more than most are aware and it comes down to how a person spends their money or controls their budget.
In America, we have become socially accustomed and economically striving to be socially accepted. Most perceive that unless you have an excellent credit rating or a high line of credit - then you are no one as a contributor to the society financial scene or economically production of social gatherings as in shopping or eating out at a restaurant. But this is the biggest calculated lie there ever was and this assumption has led to financial irresponsibility in this country. Started by a system to create failure. Enabled by a system to create financial dependency upon another.
When you have complex medical conditions that you must seek treatment for and are unable to pay your medical bills that causes bad credit ratings - you quickly realize that a credit rating has no bearing upon you as an individual and that only healthy people matter with our social system of democracy numerical ratings of your financial creditability. You quickly learn what is a necessity and a luxury and what must be paid and what you can not afford to do when you have medical conditions.
But there is another negative flip side in this social system of democracy that very few care to know or become aware of. Our taxes only work for our government and perhaps, these credit ratings and financial irresponsibility benefits are greater than we, as individuals of health or unhealthiness, realize too. We, as people, are nothing more than a money matter of numerical rating that impacts and affects us all together as a nation - regardless of who you are and what bracket of financial gross income your check box falls into.
DHHR services is the largest portion of our government budget. With Obama care, the government dependency for medical care coverage will continue to increase in dependency upon a government office financed by tax payer dollars which is exactly what the USA democracy wants.
Financial dependency upon high interest rate loans, in store credit accounts and credit cards have become the way of life by many individual citizens also. Very seldom do you ever hear of those who effectively manage their credit limits to benefit their lives instead of creating a destructive financial effect on their lifestyles.
The only financial debt that a person should seek investment into is a college degree and nothing more in their life. In this economy, it would also make more sense to rent a home than to purchase one due to the mortgage rates and high costs of home ownership too unless a person could pay cash.
I watched the movie, Keeping Up With the Joneses, on Netflix a few days ago. It was commercialism at its worst irresponsible behaviors of what people are willing to do to stay competitive financially - even if - impulsiveness and reckless choices means loss of life, homes, or living period.
In this movie, the Jones were an uncover family hired by a marketing and sales promotion company. Their home, cars, technology and everything they wore were only to advertise a perfect life with a perfect home and the finest of furnishings and visually appealing luxuries that money could buy. It was a perfect hidden retail scheme.
In the movie, many fell for it by Keeping Up With The Joneses. Fake friendships. Fake relationships. Factual commercialism and money responsibilities lessons at its finest. Demi Moore and David Duchovny gave exceptional performances that allowed this movie plot to unfold into the devastating ending scheme that this "perfect family" was anything but affecting other lives because of their commercialism employment to defraud others. Sounds like real life huh?
So sad this movie wasn't a bigger hit than it was or that it is not viewed in schools and educational systems as a learning lesson on money matters of the factual cause and effects of financial matters or even as a tool to help young adults manage their money choices better.
We have become a spoiled financial careless nation America. A land where quick impulsive choices fuel our motivations immediately that we will regret later especially in our financial matters. Good enough is not good enough anymore. The math of money is not enough and will not be enough by the lifestyles we seek instead of simply appreciating what we already have.
Desperation does make us wiser especially in matters of math and money. It is usually through bankruptcy or some other unforeseen circumstance that comes along that a person begins to realize, admit and question their current financial spending and the chaos of their past before they learn or seek a better way to financially control their money.
It does not take a financial expert to produce control and savings in your life with your money. If you can not save up cash or pay on a layaway for something in manageable controlled payments - do you really need it or want it that bad that you are willing to pay 3 times the retail price for it?
High rate loans or high interest payments like Rent-To-Own or Rent-A-Center will increase your final price paid when making payment arrangements as this for items you purchase. Those rebuild credit gimmicks that lure you into a buy a new or used vehicle will only leave you paying for 2-3 vehicles for the price you will pay for 1 on these types of finance terms- is a higher cost really worth it to you in the long run?
How many turn their thermostats up in the winter to 70 degrees or beyond only to turn a fan on to cool it down or open your doors or walk around in shorts to keep from burning up? Have you ever thought about wearing joggers or warmer clothing and turning down your heat to save on electrical costs?
Have you ever considered using a Buy Here Pay Here car lot to purchase a slightly used but in good operational condition to purchase a vehicle? Most of their interest rates will be lower than a major car lot that finances would be.
But before you sign into any legal and financial agreement - think about the cost now and what it will cost you when it is paid for. To admit that you will pay 2-3 times the price of retail for something on credit; is not always worth it to make a purchase on an item that you may find other cheaper short term and long term costs. There are options out there - even on the tightest budget but that venture is for your learning to do.
Savings and investments take a little bit of knowledge about math and learning ways to accept practical living with in a budget. It really takes a lot more common sense of awareness than most would take the time to figure out until it is too late. It takes prevention homework before deciding to make that final purchase on any item with finance rates too.
I have learned my fair share of money errors more than anyone. To have those luxury items or to go on a trip that I knew I could not afford to do and the many other impulsive choices I have made with money. But I have found and learned that simplicity, being honest and practical about what I can and can not do on a budget is where the most peace I have ever gained from money matters are.
Money provides survival basics to life and necessities and that is it. Anything beyond that it to risk making impulsive choices and chasing an social acceptance illusion where irresponsibility gathers that most can not afford simply afford to do. May I recommend the movie, Keeping Up With the Joneses for you to watch - if you do not believe me?
With the Christmas season upon us and the money flying out the door quicker than it is coming in with shopping - try to be smart. Be wise.
Create a positive and negative list of gift ideas before you venture out. Think about it like this - will the person you are gifting really appreciate and be grateful for your gift purchased or if it will honestly merely be a waste of time and money this time next year? It is an investment of use in their life or merely a luxury that will be tossed to the side a year later?
To gift a person of how much they mean to you does not always require expensive gifts or a luxury they will not use anyways. So think about making a negative and positive list before you venture out shopping. This is one way to stop the impulsiveness and careless spending that holidays do provoke in a person.
I know it sounds absurd but maybe in the social game of financial matters one does need to consider financially responsibility with gifts this year too. Cause when your ship sinks from financial matters - who will pay your bills? Who will help you out of bankruptcy? Who will assist you when you have no pennies left? Who will help you to gain financial control when you impulsively, reckless and irresponsible spend?
We all must learn how to become more responsible with our money. If our government can not control and manage their costs - at least we can try in our bills, our finances and controlling our own matters.
The economy will continue on as it always was. But the biggest contributions to the costs of living and bill increases of supply and demand come directly from us as consumers. So be wise and prevent yourself future worries of money matters by starting today and this holiday season to be wiser and more responsible than you have in prior years. Those who value financial responsibility will appreciate your efforts to be a wise shopper and those who do not, will not value your gifts anyways!
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