Daily Mess

Recently I had a conversation with a group of people about the intelligence of this generation and what they felt future generations would be like.  At first, most people said we would get more intelligent, we would solve many of the medical issues, and make great strides in knowledge.  Then someone said “studies show the smarter you are, the less children you have.  Those with the least education tend to have the most children.  Since intelligent people keep having fewer children, and the rest are having more than their share, would not the world end up increasing the number of people with less education and/or intelligence?  Would not the smart people die out?”

I have to admit it was an interesting idea and gave me a great deal to think about.  The first thing I thought was “I’m smart and had 4 kids, I did my share” and then I thought, maybe this is a possiblitiy, the world will get dumber.  How do we avert this potential disaster?”  I guess the answer and solution is actually simple.  Education.  Make education a priority for all income levels, all races, and all ages.  Get the kids when they are young and teach them how important learning is and instill in them a thirst for knowledge.  I believe that is the answer.  Keep everyone education and an education wihtin reach of any person at any point in thier life.

I have always had a thirst for knowledge.  Always searching, learning as much as possible and spending every waking moment in pursuit of a better life.  I’m not sure it can be taught, but I am sure it can be encouraged, and all it takes is reaching out to someone and showing them that knowledge opens doors and gives you a better life.  We all want that don’t we?

So grab a book, read to the kid next door, tutor that child who is struggling with match, spread your knowledge and your love of it.

In this day and age of economic woes it amazes me how little people are paying attention to their finances.  They live paycheck to paycheck, have no set budget, have no idea who they owe let alone how much they owe, and no financial planning.  I personally believe they should spend time teaching people right from primary school about personal finance and parents should set a good example and help explain the family budget to the children.

Make going to the grocery store a learning experience for your child.  Show them the entire process from setting a budget on how much you can spend, how you plan your shopping around sales and how you use coupons to make your dollar go a little further.  If you don’t do this and just go to the store and shop, then you owe  it to yourself and your children to start and do things properly.

I have enoucntered grown adults who don’t even have one dollar in thier bank account.  Or those who have said “I had $1.03 in my bank account, bought something for $1.00 but didn’t figure in tax and so I got charged an overdraft fee”. People go through hard times and I understand that, but when you find out the $1.00 was spent on something like a chocolate bar then I shake my head in disbelief.

Don’t get me wrong, I have been through hard times myself, but I WORKED two jobs until I got on my feet.  During the time of financial hardship, if it was not a necessity, we didn’t buy it.  But there are so many people who always seem to be in financial hardship because they don’t have a plan and they do not spend their money wisely and most of all, they do not live within thier means.  I am sure people who live like that live far more stressful lives than they need to live.

If you are one of those people, it is time to get your life in order and teach your children how to handle their personal finances.  If you don’t know where to start, then hop on over to Ready To Save  a website that doesn’t cost a penny and offers loads of advice on how to save money, make more money and get more bang for your buck.