Wealthy Money Attitude

Keep a wealthy money attitude or you run the risk of slipping into financial mediocrity.

Finding new ways to save money on almost anything you buy is almost like getting a raise. Maybe it's even better. When you save twenty dollars on a coat that you needed you get to keep the whole twenty dollars. When you make twenty dollars more on your paycheck, you lose five dollars or more of it to taxes. 

While it's great to save money, if you focus upon it to the point of going overboard and perhaps cultivating unethical behavior, you may as well forget about becoming financially wealthy.  You can't "think wealthy" and think that you have to save money "all the time," at the same time.

Both of those thoughts and the actions they lead to oppose one another and they will most certainly cancel each other out.  The result is that one will never have more financially than they do at the moment.  They will never have wealthy money, but barely getting by money. 

I always preach "moderation" in all things and saving money is no exception.  

Here are some comical, yet detrimental ways to save money that have gone too far. In a recent newsletter on how to save money, one contributor suggested getting free flowers for weddings by picking up the leftover flowers at a cemetery. She didn't say how you can tell which are "leftovers." 

And the following are gleaned from real suggestions on ways to save money sent in to "frugality" websites and newsletters. Some "extra thrifty persons" don't seem to notice that an extra hour at work might put them further ahead than many hours of penny-pinching.

Ways To Save Money - Don't Try These Ever! 

A mother confessed that she makes her kids stuff their pockets with the free ketchup, salt and other condiment packets every time they were in a fast food restaurant. Oh, if only that were all, but no. She has the kids squeeze the contents of the packets into regular jars of ketchup and mustard. She says she hasn't bought these condiments in years. Pride is found in strange places. 

A wealthy mentality can never be born out of this limiting mind-set of teaching one's children to steal in order to save money.  Talk about perpetuating a "poor mentality" along with unethical behavior.  And the mother won't be winning any "mother of the year" awards either.  

One creative penny pincher found a way to save money on car washes. He washes his entire car using the squeegee at the gas station. Hmm... I wonder if he takes the toilet paper rolls home from their rest rooms too.  I've know people who do that --- and they had plenty of money!  Don't they realize their behavior raises the prices of whatever product that particular store is selling?  So much for saving money! 

Would you like a free umbrella? One man suggests getting one at the lost and found department of any large public library. You just tell them you lost a black umbrella. They will almost certainly have several from which you can pick the best one and claim it as your own. What if they have no black umbrellas? I guess that person will have to go to another library.  How crazy is that?

Several contributors to these newsletters know how to save on their long distance phone bills. The most common suggestion is to call people long-distance when you know they won't be home, and leave a message for them. Then they pay for it when they return your call. I suppose if your timing is off, and they answer when you call, you can quickly hang up on them and try again later.

I don't recommend any of these as ways to save money for even the most frugal person. Apart from the ethical issues with some of them, they can be lumped in along with washing and re-using plastic wrap - a time wasting frugality.

On the other hand, they are fun to read.  And I thought I could get the point across to help you keep a mindset of wealthy money while I make you laugh at the same time. 

Here's a few more situations that will keep you from wealthy money:

How about the parents who turn off the lights every evening to save money on electricity and then tell their kids it's a game of hide-and-seek?  Or what about the dog owner who trained his dog to beg from the neighbors so he doesn't have to feed him?

It's just all too crazy!  And it somehow makes me wonder. How many of these cheap or rather frugal people actually pay for magazines and newsletters that give them tips on ways to save money? Do these magazines advise that readers go to the library to read them, or stand reading them in the aisle at the bookstore for a hour? Those are some sure ways to save money, but it's all so counter productive for everyone.

The best way to keep "saving money" in it's place is to make it a fun activity, not a chore or an excuse for stealing.  If you do this, you'll surely develop the right mindset for wealthy money.

Get my Financial Growth Series Free when you subscribe along with updates and announcements. You won't get a ton of emails and your information is safe! See my Privacy Policy to learn more.

Join the Mailing List Enter your name and email address below: Name: Email: Subscribe Unsubscribe Christian Money Growth

Leave Wealthy Money Attitude For Home Page

Wealthy Money Attitude and all associated materials and related studies are the complete work of the site's author, Margaret Lukasik, and cannot be copied by any means without her express written permission.