Three SHOCKING money mistakes!

Make these and they will ensure you will NEVER GET RICH!

I am myself not so sure whether I have done such a post. However being a consultant, a salesperson and a trainer is really an unfair advantage for being a blogger / author.

I normally deal with people in the wealth category -- people wanting to invest.

When somebody wants to borrow, I am not of much use. I have really no clue where to look for good deals, what to ask, how to negotiate etc. Okay! Do not get me wrong. I know the theory, but I have NEVER done that. I am more like a male gynaecologist! These money mistakes that I saw are so, so, so straight forward and simple that I am surprised that people do not know THIS and even when they know they keep commiting them again and again.

1. Spend MORE than what you earn

When people buy using a credit card, and repaying when they earn a salary, they have NO CLUE about the overspending that they are doing! Shocking? I was shocked too.

Here is a simple solution: write down your expenses that you incur in cash. Then at the end of the month, tabulate the expenses. Is it more than your take home pay? Do it over a period of one month, two months and three months.

See how it looks.

Do you need money from your parents or spouse (once in a while) to settle your credit card dues? Terrible situation, you need to be in a financial ICU.

2. Shopping excites you?

For a person completely brought up on investing and enjoying the process of investing, I am shocked by the number of people who enjoy shopping! It is so true among boys, girls, men and women. No gender or age bias.

If you are in this category, take control of yourself.

Find a game to play or a park to walk.

Even better find a jogging park and run in the mornings and evenings.

Enjoying shopping to me is like an oxymoron. It takes me four minutes to buy a white shirt and three minutes to buy a black pant.

3. Your credit card debt is being rolled over every month

This is the AIDS / cancer of personal finance.

You are now sliding on the edge of a blade. It cannot be a pleasant experience, can it be?

With interest rates of 3.5 per cent per month -- this translates to much MORE than 40 per cent per annum! No way will you be able to settle this debt without a big infusion of money by someone who can help you get out of this rap.

This someone can be you, your spouse or your parents. I can assure you one thing. If you see these 3 symptoms in ANYBODY, you can be sure that this person WILL NEVER GET RICH, unless s/he changes attitude towards wealth creation. The start is to be made by dramatically reducing expenses and finding that proverbial Rs 1,000 every month to do a SIP...

Happy New Year if you are celebrating it after reading this post! :-)

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com