Commercialism is everywhere, and one can’t seem to survive without being expected to run up credit card debt. It’s the “gotta have it now” syndrome, and it is ruining your health. Think you are immune to this syndrome? Let me ask you: do you have at least one credit card? Are you depending on payday loans to get you through the month each month? Well, I am afraid to tell you—you have the syndrome and it is going to eventually wear you down due to lack of sleep and an abundance of worry about your finances. Following are budget busters that will ruin your credit every single time.

What are budget busters? These are the things that are advertised on every single television and radio station…on every single website…and in every single magazine. It’s those items that are “hot”, “new”, and “different”. Those items that you see everyone buying these days without understanding why they would buy them, and how they can afford them. Things such as Blackberries, 3G cell phones, or the latest television technology. You know the type—hot one day, and in the trash the next. But these “gotta have it now” items are what makes you throw caution to the wind and create huge credit card debts. These are the items I call “Budget Busters”, because they bust your budget in a big way. Some examples of these budget busters…

Real Estate

Investing in real estate is a good thing if you do it correctly, but unfortunately, not many people do it correctly. Have you ever watched some of the real estate buying shows on HGTV? If you have, then you know what I am talking about. Many of those people on the shows appear to be very greedy—they want all of their wishes to be met, and if even one thing is missing, then they keep searching. Often, their searches lead them to the very top of their budget, and some actually go over their budget just to get every item on their wishlist. Credit cards become the new type of cash for many of these couples.

Examples of this include several young couples, or even single people, who buy three or four bedroom houses with a two car attached garage in an up and coming neighborhood, and you know they are going to be sacrificing a lot just to get this big of a house. Why are they buying such a big house when they are just starting out? Whatever happened to the “starter house” that many young couples bought many years ago? Starter houses were just that—a house to get them started on the path of home ownership, and a way to get their feet wet on learning to make wise real estate decisions. Budget savers would actually go for a starter house that has maybe two bedrooms, and a bathroom, with no garage. This is budget busting at its most extravagant.

Auto

New cars, while they smell great and run great, they depreciate by half in the first year. Buying a new car is the worst budget buster you can make, because you will never be able to get that much money back when you either try to sell it or trade it in for a new vehicle. Buy a used car that is a few years old, and you will save a lot of money this way.

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By avoiding these budget busters, you will not only be able to cut out your credit cards, but you will also be able to save money for your future retirement. It’s worth it to settle for less until you are able to get what you want.