Page 50 - Book1E

Loans and debts make worries and frets.
—W. G. Benham
42
Do you find yourself experiencing any of the following?
• You dread hearing the telephone ring.
• You avoid opening any envelope that looks like a bill.
• You’re afraid to tell your significant other what your finances are really like.
• You’ve stopped taking care of yourself.
• You’ve begun denying yourself basic needs so you can pay your bills.
• You wonder how you could ever live debt free.
Over-Burdened Relationships
Some of the most serious consequences of unmanageable debt involve those people we love most. Financial difficulties are one of the top rea- sons that marriages end and family members become estranged from one another.
The desire for bigger and better that began in the 1970s and 80s brought with it longer work hours, less time for family and friends, and less savings for the future. Did you know that more people said they were happier with their lives in 1957 than they have been any year
since then? While we may be more connected through e-mail, voice mail, and text messag- ing, that communication often takes place while we’re at work or on the road. When two people are both working to pay the bills, there is little time left for nurturing relation- ships. In a poll conducted by the Merck
Family Fund, 82% of the people surveyed said they felt they buy more than they need and are often wasteful, and 77% agreed they could easily buy less than they do.
The Emotional Price of Debt