Clear your debts
Alright, this is a simple update. My brother pointed out something interesting. Here's the anecdote:
This girl bought a while ago this TV set for her parent's birthday with her boyfriend. She breaks up with such said man and still has to pay half since they bought it so they pay over 3 years. Every month, she has to pay this man 120/150$, not sure exacly which one. Now, this girl has a new boyfriend and every month it's a struggle to get that money. She still works a good 20hrs a week and her birthday came up. Instead of taking the money from her birthday to pay off the debt, she decides to buy herself a Nano instead and borrows money from her new boyfriend to pay up what needs to be paid that month. The thing is, she has no computer to actually get music from.
My brother was mentionning to me that he's seen this type of behavior into Quebecois a lot. Where, when Quebecois' get riches, instead of paying off their debts they decide to think about themselves only and spend the money. It makes me laugh a bit that he mentions that because it's happened quite often that I came accross people who lived in apartments and always thought they could push payments by avoiding the owner. For some reason, the first topic of conversation they have with me is exacly that: Monetary problems. As if it was some popular trend and we were all in on the same boat. So pay off your debts first, and enjoy the party afterwards...avoiding a problem won't make it go away.
2 Comments:
I really dont see the link between Quebecers and debt clearing ;)
I don't think this is specific to Québécois either, but I do see your point. Maybe it's because that's what we see first hand, and we know little else. You are right, though, and I've seen it often.
I know a lot of people who get money in their hands and just want to spend it right away. I also have spending habits which aren't condusive to savings, but the difference is that I buy few products, but I buy good ones, and within my means. For example, a few years ago I bought myself a nice pair of skis. I had researched exactly what I want, and then spent $800 on that. This is fine, because the pair might last me 10 years. Had I gotten something lesser, I might have changed it much quicker.
Right now I'm looking to buy myself an expensive digital camera, so I'm saving up a few thousand dollars for that. I will end up getting something close to top-of-the-line simply because I will want it to last for a very long time and be able to fulfill my needs for years to come. I do so within my means, though, and I always monetarily prioritize things.
As for some people, they're compulsive spenders more than anything. You have people who buy complete shit but replace it every year because their needs have changed and this crap won't meet them. It's part of the disposible culture, but it's also a common trait of those in the lower and lower-middle class. Sometimes people can't improve their financial status simply because they've made very poor purchasing decisions and continue to do so in an impulsive manner.
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