Just over a week till Christmas and something’s wrong…no deposit…no paycheck…no money! Ah! This actually just happened to me and not exactly what anyone would need to happen so close to the holidays. I started thinking, if this had been just a few years ago I would have been screwed. I would have been screaming at the HR department and trying to figure out how I was going to pay for all that ‘stuff’ I needed to buy. What would I have done? What would you do? If that did happen to you, how long could you continue on without that paycheck? Every issue that arises can yield a life lesson, this is one of those.
Fortunately for me the situation has been fixed and I’ll get over to the bank and drop off the ‘hard copy’ check on Monday, but what can be learned here? Take a moment to honestly assess your financial situation. What if there wasn’t going to be another paycheck for a while, a loss of income, are you really prepared for that? Your food preps (if you’re prepping) can certainly keep you fed, but what about money for utilities, insurance, rent/mortgage, gas for the car? How long can you survive without income?
Financial collapse is something many Americans fear and work to prepare for, but personal financial collapse is a far more likely scenario for most Americans. Millions of us live waaay too close to the edge, many surviving paycheck to paycheck, literally a disaster waiting to happen. About 4 million people will go into debt for the first time to pay for Christmas this year, while millions more still haven’t paid for last Christmas. Up to your eyeballs in debt is ‘normal,’ don’t be normal!
With Christmas just a week away I seriously doubt any of you will make any kind of real change right now, but maybe your New Years resolution should be to finally get you finances in order. Being a prepper means being prepared for anything, so don’t ignore the most obvious. I always say that prepping is like money in the bank, well so is ‘money in the bank.’
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst! Happy prepping and Merry Christmas to you all!
Prepper 365 