Key Signs You Don’t Make Enough Money
By this point everyone knows, or at least should know, that you have to save your money in case something happens. I don’t know what it is about life, but one thing that I can guarantee is, this something, whatever and wherever it is, will happen! If you’ve saved, then great you can weather the storm while it passes and hopefully get back to normal after its all said and done. Easy enough, unless, you don’t even make enough money to prepare for those bad days. So, let’s review Key Signs you Don’t make enough money:
- Can’t cover your bills on time
While this can be due to a lack of personal responsibility as well, we look at people that simply cannot pay all their basic living necessities without constantly being late. If you go into next month knowing that you will have to choose between paying one bill and negating another, you’re in bad shape. Housing is typically the most expensive of your monthly bills so look to reduce that cost by moving to a cheaper area, getting roommates or downsizing.
- Paid on the 1st, Broke by the 3rd
This is a reality for a lot of people. There is nothing like having all the money you’ve just worked for disappear faster then can binge watch a miniseries. Its important to retain some money from each paycheck for saving and emergencies. So, if you have to put your entire paycheck into expenses every money, consider working with your bills to spread them to different parts on the month. Make sure you aren’t squandering the extra cash in your account as it may be needed to keep up with the bills later in the month.
- Always Thinking About Money or the Lack of it
The ironic thing about not having money is that it has a large mental and emotional cost associated with it. When you truly cut back on unneeded spending, responsibly paid down bills, and you still don’t have a huge financial cloud over you, that could be a take a huge emotional toll. People in financial hardship might feel like there’s no way out and consistently think about money in every decision or aspect of their lives. Consider making a strict budget and ways to gain extra income to meet your basic needs comfortably
- No emergency or savings
At this point you should be concerned if not downright worried. There is no more testing time then having an emergency while not having a way to pay for it or the fallout of that situation. If your car breaks and you don’t have enough money to fix it, it might jeopardize how you get to work, which could very possibly lead to you not being able to pay rent and from there things just get worse. So, a simple untimed circumstance might collapse your entire financial system.
- Nothing left to Cut
When most people think of financial troubles the easiest solution is to suggest cutting anything that’s not considered a necessity. From an extreme perspective you might just be left with housing, car, utilities, and groceries. This means you have already said goodbye to Netflix and haven’t been participating at the glorious happy hours all your peers invite you to. Just some books to pass the time and making sure to turn lights off as you leave the room. If you’ve reached this point and you still aren’t making enough then you need to use everyday as an opportunity to look for a better paying job. You have an unsustainable financial condition that won’t fix itself without major changes. Since you have already cut a lot out, the only logical thing is to begin adding more income through various means.
Financial issues can be hard to talk about and even harder to get resolved. The first step is acknowledging when you have an issue and isolating exactly what that issue is. Running low on funds every once in a while, and having to tighten the proverbial belt is completely normal. Continuously lacking the money needed to sustain a reasonable lifestyle without exhausting every dollar is an income problem. Start looking for ways to leave that position or demand that you get paid more but be ready for them to say no.
