Personal Narrative: The Seven Debtly Sins

After playing the game “Spent” three times, I learned a lot about my character. I tried different scenarios each time I played the game. After completing the first and second game, I thought I had made it through to end of the month with over $300 in my pocket only to discover that the rent was due on the first of the month. Purchasing ramen noodles, hotdogs, eggs, bread and tissue just to keep my grocery bill down to minimum seemed like the logical choices, even though I don’t I despised ramen noodles. I found that I made some dishonorable choices when making a decision on how I was going to save money. During the third game, I tried to make the right choices only to find that I still had to make some unethical choices trying to make

“Keep a record of your expenditures. Record and review monthly income and expenses. Determine how to reduce what you spend for nonessentials….discipline yourself to live within your budget plan.”

Responding to Debt - Money is also intimately linked with our inner lives. Money helps shape the contours of our day-to-day lives. It dictates where and how we live, what and how much we buy and, to some extent, our position in the social order. Once someone gets into debt, once there, being in debt can trigger unsettling emotional responses — especially if the debts are perceived as unmanageable or overwhelming. It's rare for someone to never have money problems. Trouble happens: jobs disappear, marriages fail, people get sick, homes lose their value and bills pile up. It goes without saying that making money, spending money and thinking about money take up a substantial portion of our lives. Personal debt is not bias, no one is immune. One day we find ourselves in the middle of a financial

"Is it worth the time I'd have to spend away from my family, or time I could be doing something I really wanted to do...”(Formichelli 1) Spending time with family or friends is a very joyous activity and requires you to spend only your time. There are many activities that do not require money. I fall victim to buying idols to achieve happiness when there are many sources of joy in my life, such as my sister, grandparents, and all my good friends. There are three shortcomings in specific that I am guilty of committing: thou shalt not be a slave to immediate gratification, thou shalt not pretend to be too busy to think about money, and thou shalt not be ruled by your social life (Anthony and Chick). These flaws of mine come from a story written by Jason Anthony and Karl Chick titled “The Seven Debtly ‘Sins.’”

I want to place my hand on my heart, with a believe that it will start believing people again.trusting those who caused a mistrust between my heart and soul.

If you were to ask the average person if they believed whether or not money can buy one’s happiness, many would likely say no; but if you were to take a closer look at how they choose to spend their money, their purchases would say otherwise. Their purchases would likely say that money can instead buy you many things that make you happy, or at least temporarily. Our society condones the American dream to follow one’s desires because anyone who obtains any level of power, pleasure, and wealth is likely to also achieve a satisfying and successful life. “In a capitalist economy and a culture of consumerism and materialism, are we not bombarded with messages promising happiness through wealth and possessions? Aren’t we every day indoctrinated by advertisements promising bliss through the clothes we wear, the cell phones we buy, and even the beer we drink?”

You've probably heard of a message in a bottle, but have you ever heard of the "Devils Message"? Probably not because it was a ridiculous game my brother, sister, and I came up with when we were bored. We played this game only a couple times but only when my cousin Maxx came to visit did we decide to record ourselves in the event that something funny would happen. The day started just like any other normal fall day. My cousin Maxx was visiting from Johnstown so we were looking for something to do. All of a sudden Joe got the bright idea to show Maxx Devils Message. We all got dressed and headed out for the swing set.

ISALITA is always there to get me over some ridiculous event. An exam gone awry, a terrible week that screams, "If I'm ending right now, a martini better be involved," or when my deep cravings for fish tacos stop me down Liberty, it's always there for me. On one such occasion, one of my fave people in the world with whom I happen to share a cohort in not ONE, but TWO schools, decided we needed to treat ourselves. Mid-semester shenanigans and a wide-open schedule allowed for such an occasion.

Reducing your overall debt is the final step in creating a good working budget. Many people who battle with heavy debt have a hard time monitoring their cash flow. They have trouble sticking to their budget and struggle to control spending. Until they get their debts under control they will not be able to achieve their financial goals. The biggest key to financial health is to stop creating new debt atop the old debt.

Most time when money does not bring happiness, it is due to how the person is using it. In a Ted Talk by Michael Norton, he talks about how when used correctly money can buy happiness. In his Ted Talk he made the claim that if money doesn’t bring you happiness, then you’re using it wrong (Norton). Often, people who do not find happiness from money are spending it in an antisocial manner, as Norton explained. It has been found that when money is spent “prosocially” those spending the money tend to be much happier than those that spend on themselves. We see this type of behavior from those who are constantly “keeping up with the Joneses”. In an article relating to this topic it says that “Some people may not be able to ‘keep up with the Joneses’

Blemishes, flaws, insecurities. They are ubiquitous. For me, my biggest imperfection was my lack of organization. From kindergarten through high school, I would constantly have my belongings scattered across my house. My family nickname was unkempt Tanvi. Amazingly, I managed to never miss homework assignments and important events. However, I soon realized my success was impermanent.

"Is it worth the time I'd have to spend away from my family, or time I could be doing something I really wanted to do...”(Formichelli 1) Spending time with family or friends is a very joyous activity and requires you to spend only your time. For example, there are many activities that do not require money. My parents and I both fall victim to buying idols to achieve happiness when there are many sources of joy in our lives, such as siblings, children, grandparents, and friends. There are three shortcomings in specific that I am guilty of committing: thou shalt not be a slave to immediate gratification, thou shalt not pretend to be too busy to think about money, and thou shalt not be ruled by your social life (Anthony and Chick). These flaws of mine come from a story written by Jason Anthony and Karl Chick titled Debt free by 30 which speaks of the seven “debtly sins.”

Be creative and try to invent ways to reduce debts like cook food on your own and reduce your inclination to eating out except on special occasions. And try developing such good habits.

“Can money buy happiness?” has been a cliche question for centuries, and there have been numerous studies and debates on this topic. Yet, no one seems to have a definite answer. In the video Money and Happiness, Michael Norton states explicitly that money does bring people happiness if you spent it on other people rather than on yourself. Although his interesting and novel answer is contrary to people’s natural instinct, it makes me reflect on my past experience of spending on others, and helps me understand the true benefits of this spending habit.

We all have heard the phrase “money can’t buy you happiness.” That phrase is a lie because mostly everything in today’s society revolves around money. The things people like revolve around money too. What a coincidence? Let’s say a person is upset so they go buy their favorite ice cream because they know it will make them happy. That person had the money to invest in something that made them happy. Or on an even bigger let’s say someone has been fantasizing about a car and they finally get enough money to purchase their dream car. This person is likely to be very happy. If it was not for the money, they would not have gotten that dream car, so basically the money made them happy. The truth is money makes people happy.