Strategies for Success

Holy Shenanigans! More STUFF?

Loosing one's business due to lack of personal control is a sad thing. I've watched many people do just exactly that. Recently, a friend told me that her only money is in her business account and she's been using it rather freely. The business is losing money. It's going under, because it can't support itself. She has another income, but she's not living within her means.

So, what is she buying with 'her money'? Frivolities, unnecessary trivialities, and 'bargains'. She and I have discussed the 'bargains' she buys. She's got more STUFF than any ten people NEED, and she still buys because it makes her 'feel good'. The fact of the matter is, she owns a big old building completely full of 'STUFF' she refuses to 'sell' because it's got personal value, and it's important to her, but the roof is falling in on the building, pigeons are in the building pooping on all of her prized possessions, so she buys more 'STUFF' to solve the problem. Ten dollar swimming pools to keep the rain from dripping onto her antique furniture and collectibles, plastic to cover them. Meanwhile the mice are eating through the upholstery and gnawing through the antique woods.

The reason she does this ? is it provides her with emotional 'security'. As long as she has 'STUFF' she has 'security', she thinks. In the mean while, she's working at a job to support her 'STUFF' habit, and loosing her business, because she's wasting the money from her 'business', instead of using it to build a business that would eventually support her ? if she didn't have all that 'STUFF' draining her income. She doesn't have security; she has 'STUFF' being ruined by the frivolous manner in which she is spending her money.

To say she is eccentric, actually only gives credence to her behavior. The fact of the manner is, she doesn't have the money to be eccentric. She has 'STUFF' which isn't going to get her anywhere, because her 'STUFF' is not appreciating, it's getting ruined. She has friends, but she doesn't listen to them, she has to have her 'STUFF'. I'm actually afraid my friend is going to be a lonely old person taking care of her 'STUFF' because she just can't quite realize that she needs to build relationships with people, and let go of her 'STUFF'.

One time, I even ask her about 'friends' and she responded she doesn't have anyone she can trust. I can understand why. She's worked her entire life to develop a relationship with her 'STUFF'. I consider her a friend, and I have gone the extra mile to make our friendship work. I wonder sometimes at my dedication to the friendship ? because sometimes I feel like I'm working toward a dead end. Particularly when it comes to her business. I worked for nothing at times while I attempted to help her get her business up and running. I felt eventually it would be worth something to her. But, she feels if she buys me 'stuff' she's somehow making it worth my time to help her. Her values are misplaced, and her priorities are dysfunctional.

The saddest thing is, she's filling up her business with her 'STUFF' and when she looses the business, and she will loose her 'STUFF' too. Then what will she do? Her 'STUFF' isn't taken care of, it's just stashed there, taking up space and loosing value.

Every time I see her, I want to scream, "Holy Shenanigans, MORE STUFF!" But, I don't think she would understand the problem ? EVEN then!!!

Copyright (c) 2005 - Jan Verhoeff

Got a problem planning your business expenditures? Personal finance doing you in? Consider a FREE consultation with one of our consultants at eBiz Brand Performance.

---

Tips To Save Money At The Supermarket

Are you interested in saving money off your grocery bills? If so, then a few "Smart Shopper" tips are all you need to start saving hundreds off your grocery bills!However you must make... Read More

Save On Food - Ten Tips

To save on food, be an opportunist. Buy what you like, but buy on sale. Do you need oranges every day? Buy them when they're cheap, then buy grapefruit or orange juice when... Read More

Help With My Annuity

The cries are heard from the distance, "I need help with my annuities." Nothing has changed...just a lonely senior who can't trust anybody with her annuity because every time she asks for advice,... Read More

Financial Security

1) HOW TO LOOK FOR A JOBA) The Chronological Curriculum:1. First and foremost you have to be able to write an effective resume or curriculum. Now there are two types of curriculums that... Read More

Can You Afford Not To Look After Your Personal Finances?

Investing is a subject a lot of people don't want to think about. And there is good reason for that. Investing seems scary. It either sounds like something only the rich do or... Read More

Budgeting Your Way to Financial Freedom

Financial freedom cannot be achieved without budgeting. Budgeting involves tracking your sources of income and more importantly tracking your expenses. It is novel tool for controlling your expenses and making you aware of... Read More

Risky Business: You May Not be as Daring as You Think

I thought I was through with exams when I finished college. Then my financial adviser (a.k.a. stockbroker) had me take a test to measure my tolerance for risk. He said, there were no... Read More

Live Green; Save Green!

Have you seen the recent article on a new "green" residential high rise in Battery Park? It's called The Solaire. For a look at the hopeful future of architectural efficiency, check out the... Read More

University: A Course in Personal Finance

Recent findings from the Educational Policy Institute indicated that the UK is the third most expensive place in the world to go to university. Combine this with figures from the Prudential, showing that... Read More

How To Place an Online Order for Checks ? It is Easy as 1-2-3

If You Have an Existing Account and 5 Minutes, You Can Place Your Online Order that Easy!Ordering checks online has become very popular for a number of reasons. The main reason for the... Read More

Im Broke, How Can I Afford...

I'm still amazed every time someone comes to me complaining that they don't have any money to put into their business and that they're broke.I mean what have you been doing with your... Read More

Kundalini Lessons - Money

I've been going through and interesting growth period lately that I thought I'd share, as some of the lessons were pretty profound (at least for me).I've written before about my awakening and the... Read More

How to Draw a Personal Budget that Works

Many people spend their little income haphazardly without any planning and end up getting broke before month-end. They then borrow to make ends meet and end up with more problems that they fail... Read More

Identity Theft is a Major Problem: Whose Responsibility is It to Protect the Consumer?

We have heard a lot about consumers' personal information getting into the hands of identity thieves. More and more people are taking steps to minimize their exposure to such theft by reducing information... Read More

How to Attain Your Dreams on a Single Income

If you recently became a single parent and see your dreams being washed away because you feel all alone, you aren't alone. There are single parents that face future endeavors alone like dating... Read More

A Quck Lesson in Saving Money

Did you have a piggy bank when you were a child? I did. Mine sat empty for a long time until my mother convinced me that I should really start putting my pennies... Read More

Personal Finance ? Why You Should Compare, not Despair

Sorting out your personal finances can be a tricky and exasperating time. Whether you are looking to obtain money through a loan, protect your finances with life insurance, medical, travel or car insurance,... Read More

Budgets And Eating - Can They Co-Exist?

Whatever your reason for having a tight budget, the truth is that going to the grocery store without a plan is a BIG budget breaker. And sadly all that cash ends up vanishing... Read More

Succession Planning

Have you ever thought about what you are going to leave your children when you pass from this earth? Wouldn't it be a great feeling to be able to give them a really... Read More

The Wonderful World Of Address Labels

Ever wonder where address labels come from? Avery? is perhaps one of the most well-known manufacturers of address labels. Rightly so in some respects. Avery? contributed much to the world of professional labels.... Read More

Stretching Your Grocery Dollars

Shopping for groceries is an inevitable fact of our ever busy lives. We may imagine that we are saving time by dashing in, roaming the aisles and throwing whatever looks good into the... Read More

Chex Systems ? Why Every American Needs To Guard His Checking Account With His Life

Most Americans have been brought up to be concerned about a good personal credit rating, because of the role a positive rating can play in your long term plans; purchasing a home, buying... Read More

What Happens if You Die Without Making a Will

If you die without making a Will in the UK, the state will decide who gets what and how much, so those who you would want to benefit may get far less than... Read More

Honor Those Who Serve with Checking Account Supplies

Our global society has had a wake up call in the last five years regarding our safety. But there are those in our communities that fight to keep us safe from day to... Read More

Money Saving Tips. Maximize Savings on Everyday Items!

Frugal living is more than a lifestyle. It's a passion. Call Me Crazy! I love It!Why, who wouldn't love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday?Here's how I do it.I purchase... Read More

Do You Know What Tomorrow Will Bring?

I've been sharing the following idea with people for a few years now, and realized recently that I had never written specifically about it. So here it is:"I cannot predict the future."That may... Read More

The Benefits of Banking Online

How many drawers did you have to look through to find a bank statement the last time you needed one? Chances are you did not lay your hands on it as readily as... Read More

First Checking Account ? When is it Time?

We all know that money doesn't grow on trees, but we all need it to survive. The use of cash will only go so far in life, as you can't send it through... Read More

The World is Not Enough - Calling for a More Ethical Approach to Personal Finance

At a time when the entire world's attention is focused on the problems of world debt, with the Live 8 concerts, the G8 summit in Scotland, the Make Poverty History Campaign (MPH) and... Read More