Dear Jeanne-Marie,

I am just starting out on my own and see so many people who
are in financial trouble. I don't want to do the same but I am unsure how to
stay in good financial shape.

Signed,

Good Start

Short Answer:

Separate your wants from your needs.

In My Experience:

17 Years ago, I took a two week trip to Europe. I traveled on a bus full of people with
backpacks. We visited so many countries and cities that I would often wonder,
“where am I and what day is it?”

But day after day I noticed a striking difference between my
American culture and the cultures I was seeing. People walked everywhere,
climbed steps to their ‘flats’ while carrying the daily groceries home. Hence,
there was not a gym to be found anywhere.

There were many times when our group wanted to taste the
local sweets. I noticed that there were plenty of bakery shops, ice cream
parlors, and candy stores. Each shop had the most delicious and decadent
options possible, yet I never saw an obese European. It was not until I was in
a typical ‘flat’ and noticed the refrigerator was an under the counter dorm
type. I realized that only food that was necessary for the current day or two
was in the house. There was fresh fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese, meat,
etc. If the occupant wanted a treat it involved a trip down the stairs and a
walk to the specific sweet shop. Hence, no monster refrigerators loaded with
enough food to feed a nation. And ironically, no diet products anywhere.

By now you are probably wondering what this story has to do
with your original question about staying out of financial trouble…

Well, I came back from my trip to Europe a different person
and what I noticed was how most Americans are unaware of the difference between
wants and needs regardless of income.

Really.

My townhouse has more toilets in it than people!

Because I chose a job outside my profession that allowed me
to be able to enjoy the few precious years of my daughter’s childhood, my
income would be considered ‘poverty level’ by government standards. Yet time after time, people ask how I
am able to live such a happy life and have a beautiful home?

Here is what I did and you can try it too:

Divide a sheet of paper in half and make two columns. Label
one “Needs” and the other “Wants”.
Fill in the needs column first, set it aside and then go back later and
see how many you can possibly switch to the Wants column. You will be surprised at the ratio of
wants to needs. We live in a world
where wants are turned into needs to produce more and more sales. For example,
we had TV that was free, then cable TV for more channels, then higher and
higher levels of cable with more and more options, all so we can do what? Watch TV. Get a basic cable antennae and don't watch so much TV. Simple.

The secret to a happy and stress-free life is to live below
your income at all times. Live,
spend and make decisions as if you earn half of what you do. Question every
single purchase. Is it a want or a
need? After a while it becomes a
way of life and any other way looks and feels ridiculous.

Signed,

Jeanne-Marie

*Jeanne-Marie Curtis
came from Philadelphia to Chadds Ford Township in
1990. She has her BBA in HR Mgmt/Employment Law. She is the author of
Junctions by Jeanne-Marie (Every Woman's Journey and Journal) Available at
ChaddsFordLive.com Products/Books.

To submit a question:
email Jeanne-Marie at junctionsbyjm@aol.com