This is another post i was due to write in 2014 but never had the chance to. But i look at this now and wonder what i am sharing with you all. I guess it is one of our life experiences…
——
When you walk passed that corner shop and you see the latest marketing for the National Lottery saying “Double rollover jackpot tonight for £23 million”, you wonder to yourself, what if I had this money , how could I spend that amount. You hear about winners losing all their money within years and you think how can they? Poor financial management!
I had that label about 7-10 years ago. I was earning decent money but I just did not manage my finances too well. I called it living life to its fullest. I have never been good at financial planning. I went to university and spent my student grant (no more these days) and racked up my then only credit card as i was living away from home and need to buy necessities. I guess in those days i had mum and dad who i could call back on. I came out of university with maybe one or 2 student loans that i had to pay off after i started to earn £21,000 (back in the early 2000s) and so compared to students in 2010s i was lucky.
However, the scare came in 2007-8 when i realised that i pay a huge deposit for a house and i had to start paying off these 4-5 0% credit cards i had taken out. It was very overwhelming. My dad used to say ’10 pots and 9 lids’- you can only move the lids about to keep all pots warm but you will always be doing that until you solve this lack of balance. He was right!
Luckily, God had a plan. My career took an amazing jump for the better and i was earning better to pay off these debts. Now i am debt free! What keeps me debt free is the thought of being in the same situation as in 2007 where i was asking for loans. Even nowadays, whenever my savings drop to a certain amount i do get scared.
I have never had too much money before and so cannot imagine what that would be like but at the same time, i think with all my past experiences, i would probably be very careful and plan out how i would spend that money.
I now have annual meetings with my relationship banking manager- just to keep an eye on all my financial needs. I am sure that i suddenly had £23 mill, i would ensure that my banking manager will give me great ideas on how to manage it. But I firmly believe that i should enjoy life but ensure my finances allow me to live well for now and the future.
