It’ My Mess!

One of the current hits on the “reality” cable shows is “Hoarders”. The show chronicles people who have an obsessive desire to collect stuff. They never seem to throw anything away. In some of the worst cases, people are living in horrid filth. They can hardly move around their home. As strange as it may sound, it’s comfortable to them. It may be a smelly mess, but it’s their mess, and they can’t imagine life without it.

So what does this have to do with finances? It seems that many people these days are living in similar conditions with their finances. Many times it is evidenced by an accumulation of “stuff”, but that’s not really my focus. My focus has to do with the comfort level people seem to experience with their financial “mess”. One minute you’ll hear them complaining about how bad their finances are. The next minute they’re buying a new television or Xbox, or even a new car.

People become accustomed to their finances. Sure they’re in debt and have trouble keeping up with all the payments. Sure they don’t know how they will ever retire or put their kids through college. But it’s THEIR mess. It’s comfortable to them. They can’t imagine a life without their “stuff” or the debt that comes with it.

It kind of reminds me of a baby with a dirty diaper who just sits there in it without complaining. Sure it’s messy and stinky, but it’s MY mess, and it’s all warm and comfy!

Usually the only hope for the people on the “Hoarders” show is for an outsider to come in and help them through the process of cleaning up their mess and establishing new patterns. The same is true for your finances. Get help. Don’t continue to sit in your comfortable little mess. It really does stink.

Do you have a mess you need to clean up?