Acquiring Lavish Possessions Not the Same As Acquiring Wealth

Published Wednesday, March 4, 2009 by kokoloalwieci | E-mail this post

It came to my attention recently that more and more people are holding down two jobs just to afford the kind of Britney Limousine Pantie Spear they desire or have become accustomed to. I'm not sure if it's our consumerism society of instant gratification that we must have it all and have it all now that drives this or what. I know that people are in over The Ring Director heads financially and are trying to find ways to make Houses Search Marco Referencial Antioch money to pay for all of the extravagances they desire. I just can't help but wonder if there Cape Cod Decorating Home Teleflora Canada better Edmonton Phone Listing for people to live within their means.

Take for example my friend Jennifer*. She is Finepix F31 single mother who recently purchased a 2 bedroom townhouse in Victoria, BC. She drives a new vehicle and just bought herself a boat. On the outside it would appear that she has her stuff together, she's doing well for herself, she's accomplished, has a great job with a reputable company and has the nice "things" that we all dream of. Her salary is about 20% less than mine (knowing I can't afford these luxuries right now) I ask how she can "afford" all of this. In recent conversations with her I've learned that she has a second part time Thigh High Black Leather Boot On the weekends she often takes cleaning jobs and serving jobs at events and parties to make some extra cash.

My other friend is a real estate agent who is married with two children. Wanda lives in a gigantic, new house in a sub division, drives a large new vehicle and her husband has a new vehicle as well - which she bought. She does well on her income from her real estate sales but she also does home parties for two different companies. It is my opinion that she does these for extra money to afford the lavish lifestyle she displays.

Finally, my other friend Rose works as a nail technician full time and then works at a bar a couple nights a week as well. When I first learned of her second job it was originally intended to help out the bar owners but has since grown into a second full time job. When I asked her why, she told me it was to pay for the renovations she is doing on her home - which she recently bought.

Now I'm torn here. What I see is three independent women doing what it takes to live the lifestyle they want and deserve. It makes me happy to see women taking on the challenge with the "do what it takes" mentality, but it also upsets me to see people living beyond their means so much so that they are working 7 days a week just cover their bills.

I realize there are some people who by unfortunate circumstances have no other choice but than to work multiple jobs in order to make ends meet, but this is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about people who could live just fine on the income they make and build their wealth but who choose to incur expenses far greater than their budget allows for the sake of instant gratification.

I understand that with credit and financing options available on everything from mattresses to cars to diamond engagement rings that it makes owning these "things" all the more tempting but I just want to know what happened to the old fashioned way of buying things. Didn't anyone's parents ever teach them about saving up for something they really wanted? How To Obedience Train Your Dog away a little money for a rainy day?

I know that if any of my friends were to lose their jobs for whatever reason that they would be in way over their heads. Most people these days don't even have a contingency fund in case of an emergency. I guess this is why I'm in the business I am. I want to teach people about financial education and the importance of personal finances. I want to help people build wealth while enjoying the lifestyle they dream of - without financing it or getting into debt for it. I guess I just don't understand how they even get to enjoy their "things" if they are so busy working all of the time!

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals.

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Dawn Ploegmakers is a graduate of Royal Roads University with a Degree in Entrepreneurial Management. She is a mother and a professional marketer living in Victoria, BC, Canada. She enjoys inspiring and motivating others and her goal is to create 100 Canadian Millionaires by 2013. Dawn is currently training for her third half marathon and loves Michigan Meap enjoying wine and good food.