Take the Hilary you see now, and minus about 16 years. I was working full time and Drew was just finishing up school. I did my taxes (I have always done my own taxes because I like to pretend I’m a CPA) and realized that we owed over 1k in taxes.
{shock}
Turns out I was making decent cash (let’s not go crazy here with our imaginations, I was a nurse at a nursing home, but it was more than we had made in the past) and we basically had no write offs, and I was having too little taken out of my paycheck.
Has that happened to anyone else?
I went to my dad and started crying. I asked him what on earth we could do because we just didn’t have the money.
Now, my dad is a famous economic historian. The guy knows money, and has a real grasp of a family economic system.
He said, “Well – I have one tip.”
I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to hear his get rich quick scam that I had never heard about. I mean, the guy’s a financial guru. Dave Ramsey eat your heart out.
And then my dad gave me this little gem:
“Well, you can either spend less, or make more.”
{sound of a balloon deflating}
What?
Well, I knew THAT!!!! But how on earth could I squeeze pennies out of my already dry life?
But the reality, that is the best financial advice I’ve ever gotten. And it is the truth with which all good budgets are found.
You can spend less
- Follow a budget
- Take out some “wants”
- Decide what is really a “want” and what a “need” is
- Move to a smaller place
You can make more
- Pick up a 2nd job
- Get a new job
- Sell stuff
- Pick up side gigs
That’s it. You might think that your finances are a mess and you need someone with some sort of certifications and initials up the yang… but really you just need THAT advice.
Spend less or make more.
Those are your options, clear and simple.
It hurts, but it’s true. It’s the best financial advice I ever got. I hope it helps you too!
Want more simple tips to get on track with your finances — check out my tips all about abundance financing — and be sure to check out my other family finances posts below that!
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Jessica [Havok] says
It’s silly how sometimes the best advice is often the most simple. “Spend less or make more,” “don’t worry what anyone else says,” “just do the darned dishes,” the list goes on. It’s just not the things we want to hear. We always want some magic trick to do x, y, or z, and to feel like we “won” – but there is no winning. The good advice is out there, and we probably already know it, we just have to do it!
Hilary says
The best advice is painful and simple. 🙂
DIANA says
JUST LIKE “EAT LESS. EXERCISE MORE”.
Hilary Erickson says
Pretty much!