Terms like, “you have to spend money in order to make money” and statements like, “debt is just a tool to prosperity” are just myths that get people into serious financial trouble. Before the recession hit, people wouldn’t even think about using a prepaid debit card, especially when they could get so much more with their credit card. If we glance back on the nation’s reliance on credit cards we will be able to see how we ended up with a struggling economy.
We can start by looking at the brilliant marketing strategies created by corporations that convinced people they needed more stuff to be happy. This eventually evolved into the mentality that the more stuff you have, the wealthier you look, and the higher your status is in the community. Other marketing strategies just flat out convinced people that they couldn’t live without certain products, because the level of comfort or enjoyment the product brings would outweigh its cost in dollars.
Next let’s look at the how the banks spent billions of dollars each year trying to make us believe that we needed to borrow more money. The marketing strategies banks used gave us instant gratification by showing us that we could buy whatever we wanted right away, even if we didn’t have the money, and we could just pay for it “later”. This sent consumers into a spending frenzy because nothing seemed wrong with spending money they don’t have, on things they don’t need. The idea of paying for it “later” was just a whisper, pushed to the back of their minds.
When consumers are in constant debt all while still consuming, it’s hard to differentiate between needs and wants. When there was no more time to pay “later” debt became a harsh reality. The problem was there wasn’t any money to pay up because we never had it in the first place! Many thought the solution was to spend their way out of debt. This method paired with the lenders who were willing to let their customers continue to fall deeply into debt eventually resulted in the banks needing to be bailed out by the government. The country slipped in a recession, of which our government is still trying to spend it’s way out of.
Those who fell victim to these marketing tactics lost their homes, cars, credit, jobs, and their lives as they knew them. If only there was a better solution. How about not spending money you don’t have in the first place? It’s a simple solution. Methods like Ready debit, prepaid debit cards provide a way for anyone to get back on their feet and regain control of their financial situation.
In the economy today the risks of debt offset any of it’s possible advantages. With corportations trying to make us believe if we spend more money we will be happy, we’ve forgotten that we might be happier with the peace of mind of being debt free. Getting in the habit not spending money you don’t have by methods like using prepaid cards, and is a much safer way to spend. After you get into the habit of not spending money you don’t have you won’t be able to put a price on the peace of mind it will bring you to be debt free!
Want to find out more about using prepaid credit card? then check out Ready Debit at http://www.readydebit.com to find your solution to financial stability.
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