Just a Taste of the Crushing Burden of Heavy Debt –

Close your eyes and imagine you get home from work on that first memorable Monday evening.

You bring home some bad news about your job. As you try to get some sleep, the first wave of the burden of crushing debt creeps up like a thief in the night. You feel like you’ve just been attacked and your heart starts to race. The thought crosses your mind that you may be in serious potential financial trouble in the next few months if you don’t find a stellar new job.

The next morning, you realize that those nice reliable paychecks are no longer coming in, aside from some severance pay. After being laid off, you quickly learn that the job market is more stressed than you though it was. Could it be possible it will take many months to find a decent job, or longer to find a good job? You feel sick inside because your lifestyle has resulted in a heavy debt burden, and your savings are lower than you’d hoped...

Inflation / Prices –
In 2023, while the pace of inflation has decreased, per the table above, many would argue that prices remain high for food and other commodities, with some recent deflationary pricing coming in early 2024. Certainly, the pandemic helped cause supply disruptions and shortages that have led to higher prices for things like gasoline, used cars, lumber, housing, appliances, electronics, meat, fish, dairy, fruits, vegetables, healthcare, labor, housing, education, etc.

Many economists are arguing that unemployment is low, and spending is still up – that the economy is strong. Yet, many people still see those higher prices and conclude that the economy is bad, that we’re no longer going to have low interest rates and low inflation. The high cost of housing is probably one of the biggest contributors to the cost of living, especially those who are renting. The price of purchasing a place to live has risen so greatly as to becoming a homeowner is hardly a reality for millions. Rents have also surged greatly in the past few years, taking a big bite out of household income, and leaving less to spend on other essential products and services...

Wife – Put Your Wife First and Never Become Divorced –
Boys, this one is for you. So, listen up and please pay attention. Start with a personal inventory your life. Is it about you, or her? So, which is it – “me, me, me, and more, more, more” – OR – (speaking of your wife) “you, you, you, your, and your, your?” Maybe a little bit of each? The first approach is self-centered and points inward, to you. The latter suggests you value first the well-being of your wife, and points outward.

Most men, or way too many, don’t get it, what makes a marriage happy, because too many of you are outright ‘stinky’ if that makes sense. Being selfish is another word for stinky. Maybe it takes years or decades to learn this lesson of always putting your wife first. It’s how a couple becomes very happy in marriage, and in your own life too. But hopefully you already know this, if you’re fortunate enough to be married. Maybe you already make your wife’s happiness the greatest purpose of your life. If so, you are most happy, and you know it. Otherwise, you may be feeling comfortable being miserable with the ‘me and more’ approach, rather than living the ‘you and your’ approach in favor of your wife...

The Problem. The Solution –
After creating: ‘Debt Crisis – The Problem, In Plain English, 20 Risks That Will Soon Fuel a Serious Economic Downturn,’ I also created ‘Tunabudget – The Solution, The Most Powerful Budget Worksheet Plan in the World – Yours.’ While voices are beginning to emerge about a pending debt crisis (amongst every other crisis out there), I’ve yet to find anyone with a real solution. Tunabudget is that solution for consumers.

Tunabudget is also known as the ‘human side’ of individual and family financial well-being. Actually, Tunabudget was first created back in the early 1980’s and I’ve been using and sharing it, small scale, ever since. However, as soon as it becomes widely shared and used, I’m stepping out of the picture. This mission is not about me, nor will it ever be. This is not a show. I offer these things because I sincerely care about individuals and families. The Tunabudget Worksheet Plan is free. It’s beyond powerful. It’s life-changing...

Tunabudget Worksheet Plan –
Tunabudget is your own customized budget worksheet plan. Take a simple spreadsheet, or the Tunabudget Worksheet Plan template (above) that you can easily adjust to fit your own life. This is much more than a budget. It is a life plan, with a paycheck-by-paycheck projection for the next year or so. It does not prescribe how every dollar will be spent. More importantly, it is an overall plan of action. You can see for yourself what you’ll be doing a year out because that’s where you’ll be spending your resources. If you don’t like it, then change it. That’s the whole purpose. If you’re financially in trouble, your plan will get you out of trouble, the best possible way - your way. Your spouse’s way. Your family’s way. Obviously then, you will need to make the template your own plan. You should change it however you need to, to make it your own. So, change, add, delete all the rows you’d like. But the Tunabudget Worksheet Plan template is all set up with the right fields to automatically add up the data...

Rock Solid Core Values –
A few generations ago, our recent ancestors had a set of core values that should be the envy of the world. They were good people, honest, hard-working, frugal, used budgets, watched out for their neighbor. They avoided debt and if they did borrow, the loans were very modest and were repaid in short order. They sacrificed and went without, rather than use credit cards. They lived within their means, usually on one income in the household. They were sincere, and held themselves to account, and expected that others do the same too. They respected themselves and each other. They were exceptional decent people, with their courteous public manners on fully display all the time.

Spoiled Generations –
Today, generations later, we have become less disciplined, more selfish, and have a plastic ‘buy it now, pay it later’ attitude. We’ve developed a ‘covetousness’ desire for more wealth and possessions, especially for automobiles and larger homes. With that came large installment and mortgage debts, and a more and more, and a me, mine, myself, mindset set in...