The Comparison Trap
We often see other people spending their money (or see their material possessions) and compare ourselves to them.
Which is totally lame, I know. But it happens.
How do they afford to buy their kids those cute moccasins? How do they afford to go on that tropical vacation? They bought a boat? How do they afford two kids in day care? How do they afford that house?
Social media makes it all too easy to get small peeks into others' lives, igniting jealousy. But we don't have the full story.
Maybe they don't have a $15,000 savings fund. Maybe they won't be able to retire early. Maybe they're not saving for their kid's college. Maybe they got a loan for that new vehicle instead of paying cash. Maybe they make a lot more money than we do. Maybe they don't go out to eat as much as we do. Maybe they have a lot of credit card debt. Maybe their parents still support them financially. Maybe they don't tithe. Maybe they use coupons. Maybe they haven't been on vacation in 10 years and have been saving their money. Maybe they feel strapped for money every single day.
The point is...we don't know. And it shouldn't matter. We should just focus on our own situation.
Maybe you guys wonder similar things about us. When we spoke at the Texas Style Council, one of the first things I said was that we aren't perfect. We haven't known this budgeting stuff our whole lives. We've made lots of mistakes, and we still make mistakes more often than I bet you think we do. Even if you're older than us, it's not too late to get started. We certainly don't share our story to cause envy, but to motivate and inspire.
(We also try to share our methods and are open books, so just ask if you have a question!)