I won't post my rant

I won't post my rant on needing to be smart with money because I just don't think I should talk about money. 

I don't understand scooters, $170 shoes, and all sorts of expenses.  Then again people could come up with a list of things they think I don't need if they looked at how I spend money on my wants. 

Different people have different priorities.  That's fine.  One priority I have is to save and invest in my future more than spending on wants right now. 

One priority athletes should make is to watch ESPN's 30 for 30 about how pro athletes lost all their millions. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NIuG_Kn06E&feature=relmfu

In the real world you need to keep track of everything that comes in and goes out and you need to budget for what you need now and in the future to figure out what nice things you can afford to do for yourself, without putting yourself through the hell of going bankrupt.

Should I buy that expensive pair of shoes or should I put money away for a house or washer and dryer one day?

I am blessed to have grown up with the values that my grandmother learned from living through the Great Depression.  Those values have been instilled in me.  Don't be wasteful, be resourceful, work hard and be smart with money. 

The tradition in my family is to eat cake and ice cream off of a special plate that has been passed down.  On it this plate it has a saying "For age and want, save while you may.  For no morning sun lasts all the day."  I'm lucky to have grown up with these values.   

That's not to say not to spend money.  It is to say, spend it wisely and plan how you want to spend it compared to your goals in life. 

(One reason I made a bucket list is that it creates a set of objectives and goals to work towards.  It helps make sure you plan both the time and money necessary to do the things you want to do in life) 

I hope people are smart with money, because it's sad to see how many people aren't good with it, and the trouble being bad with it can get them in. 

Come up with the things you care most about in life and start to figure out how you are going to pay for it.  You will start to weigh buying things you want now with things you want in the future.  

Do I want to spend an extra $5,000 to buy a BMW or do I want to make sure my child goes to college?