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What kind of influence do your friends have on you? That was the question my pastor posed to the congregation yesterday. Are they a positive influence on your life, or a negative? Do they lift you up, or do they bring you down? I couldn't help but think, not only do our friends have an influence on our spiritual life, they also have an influence on our financial life.
Having friends that like to spend money, can cause you to want to spend money. Peer pressure is very much a factor even after high school. If you don't believe me, look at all the people living well beyond their means. Remember that saying, "Keeping up with the Jones's"? For many people it isn't enough to just "keep up with the Jones's", they want better than the Jones's. And having those people as our friends can be disastrous to our finances. Those are the type of people who want you to go on vacation with them, even though they know you can't afford it. Instead of seeing debt as a problem to be solved, they see it as a way of life. And they encourage you to embrace it. They make fun of you because you don't have cable. And they make you feel guilty, when you don't buy your kids everything they want. Of course they are also the friends, who want to borrow money from you all the time, and will eventually be filing for bankruptcy. These are the types of friends we need to avoid.
The type of friends we need, are frugal friends. The friends who will encourage us to cut up those credit cards. The ones who recommend a low cost vacation we can afford, instead of one we can't. Frugal friends consider cutting coupons a good time, and they're always getting free samples in the mail. They buy used cars with a few more miles on them, and they try to convince us to do the same. They have a budget, and stick to it. Because of this, they're working their way out of debt, instead of digging themselves deeper. They bring their lunch to work, while everyone else goes out to eat. They pay off their mortgages early, and experience financial freedom. These are the type of friends we need.
Not only do we need these types of friends, we need to be this type of friend to our friends. We need to encourage them to save and live within their means. Your friends will thank you for it.
How are your friends influencing you financially? How are you trying to influence them?
Having friends that like to spend money, can cause you to want to spend money. Peer pressure is very much a factor even after high school. If you don't believe me, look at all the people living well beyond their means. Remember that saying, "Keeping up with the Jones's"? For many people it isn't enough to just "keep up with the Jones's", they want better than the Jones's. And having those people as our friends can be disastrous to our finances. Those are the type of people who want you to go on vacation with them, even though they know you can't afford it. Instead of seeing debt as a problem to be solved, they see it as a way of life. And they encourage you to embrace it. They make fun of you because you don't have cable. And they make you feel guilty, when you don't buy your kids everything they want. Of course they are also the friends, who want to borrow money from you all the time, and will eventually be filing for bankruptcy. These are the types of friends we need to avoid.
The type of friends we need, are frugal friends. The friends who will encourage us to cut up those credit cards. The ones who recommend a low cost vacation we can afford, instead of one we can't. Frugal friends consider cutting coupons a good time, and they're always getting free samples in the mail. They buy used cars with a few more miles on them, and they try to convince us to do the same. They have a budget, and stick to it. Because of this, they're working their way out of debt, instead of digging themselves deeper. They bring their lunch to work, while everyone else goes out to eat. They pay off their mortgages early, and experience financial freedom. These are the type of friends we need.
Not only do we need these types of friends, we need to be this type of friend to our friends. We need to encourage them to save and live within their means. Your friends will thank you for it.
How are your friends influencing you financially? How are you trying to influence them?
2 comments:
It's true--birds of a feather...
I've noticed this especially since we recently moved from the country to a more suburban setting.
Glad I met a new friend here. Love your place. Subscribing to your feed...
Thanks for the comment Servant. You may also like my other site www.youreverydaychristian.com
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