You are all often advised that you should set aside money for a rainy day, but despite that, you fail to have enough money in your emergency corpus. Many people fall into debt because of a lack of savings. Online convenience is also one of the reasons why people rely on debts to meet small emergencies. They need to be repaid completely on the due date, so they do not tend to seem expensive. Unfortunately, many ignorant borrowers like you do not realise that you will end up paying the annual rates if you keep rolling over the loan.
You cannot be in the driving seat unless you make financial decisions. You will have to step up to the plate if you are concerned about doing up your overall financial situation. Well, it is comparatively complex. Many a time, you end up making bad financial decisions that could have far-reaching effects on your overall finances.
Worst financial decisions and ways to cope with them
Here are the worst financial decisions that you could have made but should not have.
1. Not saving any money at all
It is not surprising that you did not save a penny at all. In fact, you might have got an excuse for not being able to do so is that you are on low wages or are living paycheque to paycheque. If you do not set aside money at all, you will have difficulty meeting your emergency expenses.
You will be forced to borrow money, which is undoubtedly an expensive alternative because you are to pay interest on top of what you borrow. However, if you had enough savings, you could avoid paying interest.
Despite living on paycheque to paycheque, you can manage to set aside money. Just look over your expenses and discover the prospects where you can reduce them. Even a small amount is more than enough when your budget is on a shoestring. If possible, you should aim at saving at least 10% of your monthly income. You need to ensure that you are consistent with your contribution and automate deposits.
2. Living large
You are not supposed to live large in your 20s because doing so will add to your financial problems down the line. Bear in mind that you will need to save money for the down payment on your mortgage and a car. You cannot throw caution to the wind just because you must have a desire to live the way you would like to be.
Poor financial decisions in your 20s will have far-reaching consequences in your 30s and 40s. You will find your financial life disorganised. Living large in your 20s can throw you into an insurmountable amount of debt. Though consolidation loans for bad credit from a direct lender can come in handy when you are juggling a lot of debts, they are not inexpensive.
To deal with this situation, you should learn how to live with a budget. Various types of budgeting methods are out there you can use. Figure out which one works better. Use a budgeting app to record the entire transactions. You should start figuring out ways to build your wealth.
3. Making large purchases with your credit card
A credit card is extremely convenient to buy anything. Based on the limit, you can make large purchases, too. It may be a good idea to use your credit card. In fact, it helps you construct your credit rating. The credit utilisation ratio will among the determining factor to your credit score. An unfortunate event is that you use your credit card for considerable purchases. When the bill is generated, you find your budget has already blown up.
Credit cards are not meant for large purchases, especially if you are unable to pay off the entire debt in one go. You should use these cards only for emergency expenses to fill the gap in your savings. The small amount will be much more affordable to pay off than a larger sum.
If you are already facing credit card debt, you should consider a balance transfer card. However, that solution is available if you meet the criteria for balance transfer. Think of aggressive ways to make payments. Avoid using your credit card for any new purchases till you have settled your debt. Make all transactions with cash to track your spending.
4. Not investing
Investing money is crucial to build wealth. You can offset the impact of inflation, which often puts you on the verge of debt, on your buying power. The investment will help you build your retirement funds. Because you will earn dividends and interest, you can easily meet emergency expenses without relying on instalment loans in the UK from direct lenders only.
You do not need to wait to step into your 30s to start investing money. Start with investing in shares and mutual funds to get your toe dipped in the water. Consult an investment expert to help you on-board the investing world. Consider investing in real estate after getting hold of the market. It can be too unsafe to invest in property without having experience. There is a lot of money on the line, so make sure you do not invest more than you should.
5. Ignoring small goals
When it comes to savings, you think of stashing away for your mortgage and retirement but remember that many mickles make muckles. You should start with small goals like having an emergency cushion of one month’s worth of your living expenses. If you keep ignoring small goals, you will not be able to pursue long-term goals. Here are a few small financial goals to focus on:
- Establish an emergency cushion worth the size of £1,000.
- Enhance your credit score
- Reducing your monthly expenses
- Not utilising more than 30% of your credit card limit.
- Explore side gigs
The final statement
It is no wonder if you slipped up and made the wrong financial decisions. Thankfully, there are ways to fix your situation.
Hi, I am Jose Aalan , working as an experienced digital marketing executive in a lending firm (https://www.easyadvanceloan.co.uk/blog) and indulge in the planning, execution, optimisation and promotion of products and services through digital channels.