If only I got a pay raise, then my problems would be fixed.

If I could just work an extra 5 hours a week then the overtime would solve my problems.

If I could get an extra job working weekends then I would have enough money.

Does that sound familiar? It does for me. I used to go through life constantly trying to work for money, thinking that a little extra would solve my problems. Guess what? It didn’t work.

If I were to receive a $30,000 raise tomorrow, my money problems still would not be fixed. Working for more money isn’t the answer. I could have a salary of over $200,000 per year and still be broke.

I know, a lot of you are shaking your heads disagreeing with me right now. You are thinking to yourself, what is this guy talking about? Of course a pay raise will fix my problems! If I had an extra $10,000 a year think of all the stuff we could do! Family trips to Disneyland, a vacation to the caribbean, a new boat, a new 62″ TV for the living room. If only I had these things then I would be set!

Believe me, I know how you feel. I was the exact same way. I did receive a large pay raise, I thought all my problems were solved. With that extra money coming in I thought I could afford that new TV, new computer and trip over-seas. I didn’t save up for them, instead I charged them on my credit card. I told myself I would have them paid off within the year. Instead I found new things to buy, new vacations to take and ended up just making the minimum monthly payments. Within a few years I found myself in serious trouble.

That’s why I am telling you now, a pay raise will not solve your financial problems. We need to stop wasting our money on useless things and start managing our money better. Until we learn how to control our spending, save money for ourselves and invest wisely, we will never be out of debt. It doesn’t matter how much money we make.