If I told you that doing just one thing would save you more money and make you rich would you believe me?
It’s a bold statement so I understand why you might not. But it is true.
Doing this one thing will save you money every day for the rest of your life and make you rich.
As easy as that.
Except, in reality, nothing is ever that easy is it? Or is it?
Hint – it is totally doable and you already do it in many different situations.
Our Having It All Lifestyle
We now live in a world where we can have whatever we want, whenever we want, immediately.
Shops are open 24/7.
Decent coffee can be bought in a million different places. You can get food to go, whenever you want and get immediate transport via an app.
You can shop from the comfort of your home, buy anything and have it delivered immediately or the next day.
We don’t even need to wait for the weekly installment of our favorite TV drama now as it is released as a boxset from the get go.
We have an instant lifestyle and expect instant gratification – as long as you can pay for it.
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Paying For An Instant Lifestyle
Instant gratification comes at a cost. The more you want instantly, the more money it will cost you.
And money is something you don’t have in abundance.
Because you are now so used to this instant lifestyle you keep spending money when you don’t have it and end up in debt.
You don’t save money for your vacations, you put it on a credit card.
You don’t save money into an emergency fund. Instead you keep your fingers crossed than an emergency doesn’t happen.
This is no way to live a happy life and certainly doesn’t help you become rich with enough money to feel safe and secure.
What you need to do is the one thing that will make the difference.
The One Thing
It’s is such a simple thing and something you already do daily. Unfortunately not for the instances which will help you have more money.
SAY NO
There, how easy is that?
You already say no daily.
No to your kids demands, no to the sales assistant trying to up-sell you on something you don’t want.
And no to your boss when he asks you to work late tonight for free.
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Why You Should Say NO
There are times that you need to say no when you currently don’t.
To say no, so that you can say yes to:
- building your savings,
- yes to planning your future and
- yes to living within your means.
Unless you are a millionaire you cannot afford to say yes to every spending opportunity.
If you look at what rich people do, they don’t say yes to everything, they quite clearly say no, on a regular basis.
You need to say no. You need to do it more often.
And you need to be comfortable saying no.
1. Because the future you deserves to have money
Who is the future you? It’s you in later life.
The future you doesn’t want to have to be paying off debt because you spent too much in your 30’s.
The future you wants to be able to retire and not be reliant solely on social security.
2. Because deep in your heart, spending too much money does not make you happy
The things you buy and do, make you happy momentarily but not long term.
3. Because you don’t want to be forever overspending
I don’t know anyone who would say they actively want to spend too much now and have to pay it all back when they are in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
4. If you spend it now you pay for it doubly
In interest and your debt repayments stops you from enjoying the money you do have.
Why would anyone want to spend $500 a month on debt repayment?
Better to have that $500 working for you in investments, your house repayments or building up your vacation fund.
Tips To Say NO
You already say no on a regular basis so in theory it should be super easy to say no to those times when you currently say yes.
You could just outright say no when someone asks you to part with money you haven’t got.
But you were brought up to be nice and thoughtful of other people. Saying no can feel negative and you don’t want others to think you are negative.
It would of course be great if we could learn not to worry about what others think of you – so freeing.
But that’s a very hard one to learn.
1.Propose a less expensive alternative. If friends are asking you to join them for an expensive meal out, try suggesting an alternative. The cheapest would be supper at your house.
Or you could find a different restaurant, one which is offering a 50% off coupon. Grouponis great for deals like this.
2.Say that unfortunately it’s not in your budget this month but thank you for thinking of me.
3.Be brief. Don’t pad it out with a long, convoluted excuse. Because that is what it will sound like. And it doesn’t sound good.
4.Don’t delay. Don’t say you’ll think about it hoping the other person will forget. I’ll think about it is not a no. Just say no.
5.Find a creative alternative. If you can’t afford the vacation you dream of, find something cheaper. You don’t need to go without. Downgrade your accommodation or holiday nearer home to save on flights.
Things We’ve Said NO To
Having more children. In my family it is normal to have 3 kids. All my siblings have 3 children and my brother-in-law has 4.
But we stuck to 2 and money was a big part of that decision.
Having expensive vacations every year. We still had vacations but they were on a budget. And a fabulous time we had too!
A bigger house. In fact we downsized in order to reduce our mortgage in our 30’s.
Lifestyle inflation. As we have earned more money, getting promotions at work and pay rises, we have not increased our spending.
We saved the extra money instead.
Other People’s Lifestyles
You need to carve out your own path towards a richer future. And to do so you must be sure of your self worth.
You are worth investing in.
That is money being put away for your future. Money put aside in emergency funds so you don’t need to worry about money.
Your finances will always be different to others around you therefore you should not be trying to spend like others.
If you cannot afford something proposed by a friend, say no.
If you don’t have the cash to put towards your dream vacation, say no.
When your budget doesn’t have $100 a month for take out coffee, don’t buy it.
We feel a lot of pressure from social media, adverts and the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
The pressure to do it now because, you know, YOLO and all that.
But you will likely live to 80+ and you don’t want to be scrimping for money then.
Instant gratification promotes FOMO – the fear of missing out. You see it in adverts – ‘sale ends in just 3 days’, and, ‘buy it now before it’s gone’.
The Impact Of Not Saying NO
When you say yes to all the demands on your money, you end up with not enough money to do what you think you should be able to do.
You feel restricted because your money situation is stopping you from doing these things.
Even worse you are spending money on things you don’t necessarily want to do, you just couldn’t say no.
You end up with credit card debt because that is the money you resort to spending when you have nothing left in the bank.
You don’t save for vacations, for emergencies or for your future self.
It’s Also About Saying YES
Saying no is really more about saying yes. Saying yes to the things that will build your wealth and help you to live a richer life.
Say yes to:
- Learning new skills(increases your earnings and decreases your reliance on others)
- Enjoying time with family
- Getting free exercise(reduces future health costs and can extend your life)
- Enjoying frugal meals
- Saving money for your future happiness
- Living within your means
Things We’ve Said YES To
- Having fun on a budget.
- Saving for our future selves.
- Reducing hours at work to re-skill.
- Enjoying the challenge of paying off our mortgage 10 years early.
- Having a financial goal to retire 15+ years early (whilst only earning a moderate income)
- Eating delicious home made food at home
Build Your Willpower
Your willpower and your ability to say no will increase the more often you do it.
Saying no isn’t always easy. If it were, you wouldn’t have debt and little in savings.
Building your willpower impacts positively on other aspects of your wealth and getting richer.
It helps to build strength of character to do your own thing regardless of outside influences.
To live in the right size house for your family, not the biggest house the bank said you could afford (you can’t).
To learn traditional skills that give you the satisfaction of a job well done, a reduced reliance on others doing things for you and money saved.
If you want more help in developing your ability to say no then these books will help:
You can buy The Art Of Saying No here
you can buy The Power Of NO here.
Say No And Yes To A Richer Future
Saying no doesn’t restrict you.
It frees you.
Free from the burden of debt. From the expectation of others.
It allows you to choose the right lifestyle for you and your family both now and in the future.
Choose your best life – SAY NO!
Start taking back control of your money by grabbing your copy of the Money Saving Starter Guide today.
Grab your Money Saving Starter Guide:
– 30 quick and easy ways to save money today (tomorrow & next week)
– cash envelope template
– money vision
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All the printables you need to take back control of your money and become the super savvy saver I know you are.
Come and follow me on Pinterest for more money saving hints and frugal tips!
Last Updated on 5th April 2023 by Emma
