Why Going Out With The Guys Is Not An Emergency

Ok, first of all, I need to say that I completely understand the desire to go out and hang out with the guys (or girls). But this is about priorities. Living the way you’re currently living has put you in the situation you’re in. It’s time to make some changes today to create a debt-free life down the road.

With that said, socializing is important, but an emergency? An emergency is a blown tire on your only functional car or a failed air conditioner in the middle of summer. A kid falling off his bike and breaking his arm is an emergency. (Incidentally, this is why you need to build an emergency fund.) Getting drunk in a strip club? Not so much. Am I saying that you can’t “hang with the gang”? Of course not.

Find Less Expensive Things To Do

Instead of going out to a sports bar and dropping a hundred bucks on drinks and bar food, have everyone in the group bring a six pack and a steak and go to one person’s house, fire up the grill and turn on the game. You just saved eighty bucks, plus you’re eating a hell of a lot healthier than you would have at the bar. Plus, you’re a lot less likely to get yourself into trouble!

Instead of grabbing a group of girls and spending a fortune at the nearest multiplex, stop at a Red Box and pick up a movie for a buck and go to a girlfriend’s house with the group. You’ll be a lot more comfortable and you’ll save a bundle!

Even if you have a family, have you looked into minor league teams in your area? Taking a family of four to a major league baseball game, with a hot dog, peanuts, and a coke for each of you can easily be a two hundred dollar (or more) afternoon. Go to a minor league game with a picnic lunch and see a game in a much more intimate setting for under thirty bucks!

Involve Your Friends

I’m not saying that you need to unload your financial details on your social circle. I am saying that your closest friends should have an idea what you’re trying to achieve. It will make it infinitely easier to stick to your goals with the support of others. Plus, you may find that your friends are stressing over an overextended budget too!

What’s Your Goal?

Have you set a goal for financial freedom yet? If you have, and you’re serious about it, it’s really easy to make the choice between expensive nights out (creating an even bigger debt bill) or cutting back a bit to eliminate your debt!

Tags: budget, build an emergency fund, create a debt-free life, eliminate your debt, get me out of debt forum, set a debt elimination goal, set a goal for financial freedom, spending plan

This entry was posted on September 3, 2011 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Debt Elimination, Getting Out Of Debt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.