Losing money doesn't help you become debt free

With this post, I will fulfill my monthly posting quota. It's a self imposed quota but I also made a wager with a friend of mine to help motivate me to regularly post on this blog. This month was pretty rough at work, so I sadly have not posted nearly as much as my original goal. But I hope to change that in the upcoming month. I'm going to actually follow my own advice and schedule time to make this blog a priority (see last post on scheduling).

Although the bet I have riding on this blog isn't for that much money in the grand scheme of things, it's still never a good idea to lose money....ever. So, here I am, typing to not lose money. :) All this talk of betting reminds me of one of my favorite past times. I really enjoy gambling. Now, I've never been a big time high roller or anything like that....but I used to really enjoy my visits to Vegas (even if it meant that I made my share of contributions towards their high electricity bills). "Putting money on it" always makes things more interesting and exciting for me. From blackjack to craps to March Madness to Fantasy Football...heck, even pickup basketball games at the park. OK, I admit it, I've been known to purchase the occasional lottery ticket as well....even though I know it's truly a tax on the poor or at least a tax on the people who don't understand probability. :)

I bring up "gambling" because it's a topic that people can easily relate to, in terms of situations where people lose money. Because I'm not a big time gambler, I don't lose a whole bunch of money doing it. But the point of this post is that everyone has their own "gambling" fix...something that makes them lose money. I think my main things are eating out and travelling/attending events. Yours could be shoes, clothes, gadgets, cars, etc.... Whatever it is, you need to identify it and take control. Because in the debt free journey, losing money on things you don't need really makes it difficult to achieve your goals.