What ever the reasons for your money problems, most of them could be prevented. I know for a lot of you, I am talking in thepast tense. The problems are already here so prevention is irrelevant. This is not the case.

Only when you understand how you could have prevented the problem in the first place will you be able to fix it. We don'tneed to look at symptoms here, we need to explore root causes. I have developed a theory. Some people aren't willing to sacrifice, no matter what the rewards.

Sacrifice and discipline go hand in hand. It seems that our parents and grandparents understood this better than we do. They had to sacrifice just to put food on the table. They alsounderstood that they had to forego what they wanted to have what they needed.

I believe that most of us have a basic understanding of discipline, however in today's society we don't have to choose between food and a big screen TV. We want it all - we can have it all - NOW. It's too bad that many times this will come back to haunt us.

If you want to prevent your money problems, you have to have the discipline to sacrifice. You need to understand that your needs come first, that you have limited financial resources andthat never spending more than you earn each month is essential to your families financial survival.

It is even more important that you learn discipline and sacrifice if you already have money problems. When you develop these skills and hopefully overcome your financial woes, you will have a better chance of preventing it from happening again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Terry Rigg is the author of Living Within Your Means - The Easy Way http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/ebookadpage.html and editor of The FREE Budget Stretcher Newsletter and Budget Stretcher web site http://www.homemoneyhelp.com. He has 25 years of experience counseling individuals and families concerning their personal finances.