You may not know what the above words mean. For me, I understand what these calls above are, for I played the game of football and know the words are calls for plays my team used for the game. So, unless you have attended my school and was coached by my coach these words would not mean anything to you. Putting this into perspective in a way I can approach this is ‘my game plan’ and here are my play calls in what I am taking away from reading Dave Ramsey ‘The Total Money Makeover’ to apply to my game plan in finances.
First, play recognizing debt, I am down by $50 in my account, and I have debt, gas, food, and going out Friday night to be paid with this until a payday. You know what I am talking about, for myself I live this every day right now not realizing I myself can make a new decision. I thought it was right to have debt, my parents do and always have. So, is this not the norm for me? Nope, I am learning I can change this for me and not let money control my everyday decisions and be cautious and aware of the decisions I do make. I want to live by the motto of The Total Money Makeover ‘If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else’.
I need to give my money a name and know exactly where and whom it goes to every month and stick to my budget. Second play recognizing the denial of myself and my generation and this is ‘instant gratification’. When, I see something ‘I want, I want it right now’. Instant gratification makes me happy and not having to wait to get the wanted item right now. The reality, it felt so right and seemed so possible while growing up, but it is not as easy as it sounds as I am now an adult and having to work towards the things I want. Not saying it is our parents’ fault, but in honesty, they wanted to give us everything they didn’t have in their lives growing up. How much did they really give up themselves to give us the instant gratification we have come to accept today? Third play keeping up with the competitive schools, they have the players and the new uniforms, why not me and my school? I have seen how the saying ‘Keeping up with the Jones’ is so easy to get consumed with.
127 our experts are availableright now
While playing football I saw all the other schools having these great gyms, new uniforms, and sponsors and this was something I wanted so badly and even wished for my school. I thought it would make us look better, and we could win as they do. The reality, it didn’t work out this way and I learned it doesn’t matter what others have because I see the debt/pain they are in trying to accomplish with this facade. I realize putting the hard work, practice, and believing in what we have is what made us stand out from the other schools. With this, it gives me an understanding I need to live within my finances and not try to do more than my money can accomplish. I can have what I want in a timely manner by saving and working towards my financial goals is a better way to Win my game.Fourth play, collecting the plays, I have a list of plays and when and where they should come into play in the game.
I can take this practice into my own life by listing my debt, fun money, gas, and savings down. Creating envelopes and contributing when and where my money goes into these envelopes and once they have been played (payday) I must wait for the next game (payday) to play the plays again. Kicking the goal by having an emergency fund set up so when the unexpected score is against me I can play a ‘Hail Mary’ and now it will work for my game plan. The final play, the play of all plays in getting the touchdown, using my defensive and offensive tactics to put this all into perspective. For instance, my offensive play is I blow out a tire on my car and break my leg chasing down JoJo the black lab, I now feel the stress if I don’t have the money for these plays by my offense.
My defense kicks back by me having an emergency fund and health insurance to take care of these offense plays. I now understand I need to have certain things in play to protect me in life being car insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and well-rounded emergency savings. These things create a defense against what my offensive line of life throws at me, I am covered. Football has been a life lesson for me in many ways to include; if you put the hard work in, learn from your coaches and, learn to focus on the game you can have a strong offense and have a winning defense. In learning about finances, I can see learning denial, debt, keeping up with the Jones, collecting the plays of your defense to play against your offense you too can become a winner in your finance game.
Having all the plays of budgeting, emergency funds, health insurance, life insurance, and car insurance in the playbook will help shape my future in learning ‘if you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else’.
