Your bills are too damn high, the economy sucks, anddebt traps are everywhere.
Taking control, on the other hand, can help more than you probably realize.
These are awful practices.
Control is a huge part of financial freedom.
If you dont feel in control of your situation, youre at the mercy of a screwed up system.
There are a number of ways you might put yourself in control even if your situation seems bleak.
Focus on Solutions
Its easy to get overwhelmed by the problems that make you feel financially helpless.
If you want things to change, you cant get wrapped up in the things you cant control.
Focus on what youcando instead.
Find solutions, even ifthose solutions are outside the box.
You might not have time to plan your meals.
You might not have junk to rent out.
Maybe your creditor denied your hardship.
I immediately got defensive, because selling my car was not an option.
The point is: look for what does work instead of focusing on what doesnt.
Try lots of things.
If it helps, think of it as fighting back against a system that profits from your failure.
And the good news is, there are easy-to-follow instructions for just about every financial plan you might need.
Thats unrealistic, and youre likely to fail.
When your plan gets the best of you, you go right back to feeling out of control.
Your best bet is to take it slow and steady.
Either way, willpower is a must.
You need willpower to stick to the budget you created.
You need willpower to use the $20 you got for Christmas to pay off debt.
You need it to fend off distracting advertising that temps to to overspend.
Its essential to tap into your willpower so you’re free to use it to your advantage.
For one, that means acknowledging that youhave a limited supply of it.
You want to keep that muscle healthy and strong.
Of course, I only have so much willpower.
Eventually, I stretched it to the max, destroying my plan.
Giving myself some breathing room would have been better for my willpower.
To master your willpower, assess it periodically.
Every now and then, check in on your progress to your money goal.
Review your spending on your bank statements.
Look at your debt payoff progress.
By assessing how well youve done with your self control, you could recalibrate.
you’ve got the option to make this easier by setting specific goals for yourself.
Or, If I am offered dessert, I will ask for a cup of coffee instead.
Rewarding yourself when you pay off $1,000 worth of debt is another specific goal.
Or depositing cash into your savings account anytime yougive into a spending temptation.
Like a muscle, you might also build and strengthen your willpower.
Try building acompletely unrelated small habitlike emptying the dishwasher every night or saying yes instead of yeah.
It sounds crazy, but building that discipline can help you feel stronger.
Stay in the Drivers Seat
Put yourself in a position of control, and stay there.
I blew my budget, racked up late payment fees and overdraft fees.
Owning a home is great, but not if you cant pay your bills.
In short, staying in the proverbial drivers seat means trying to stay ahead of potential pitfalls.
Those pitfalls make you feel helpless and put a strain on your willpower.
When you feel helpless, powerless, and desperate, you usually dont make the best financial decisions.
Make Your Own Decisions
Make decisions based on your own values, not someone elses.
Its easy to make assumptions about people based on their job, age group, or income.
Freelance writers are supposed to be poor.
Artists are supposed to be starving.
Young people are supposed to live hand to mouth.
Dont pay attention to financial shame, either.
And theres quite a bit of it going around.
Millennials are moochers for moving back in with parents.
Baby Boomers screwed themselves by not saving for retirement.
Not only are these insulting generalizations, theyre not helpful at all.
People will say youre taking the easy way out.
Theyll say youre cheap for skipping lattes.
Theyll make fun of you for moving back in with your parents.
What matters is that you put yourself in a position of control and stay there.
A lot of us are broke these days.
Theres no easy solution for fixing the social and structural problems that drag people down.
No ones handing out money or get out of debt free cards.
Illustration by Nick Criscuolo.
