
1. Santa Spends More Than He Makes
Santa's paychecks are nothing to sneeze at, but he stays focused on his next raise. (Yes, of course Santa gets a raise each year!) He has no idea what it costs him to live the Santa life. He doesn't track his earnings nor his spending. Santa's got to provide for his reindeer, his horse and his North Pole home - just like the rest of us.
2. Santa Has No Emergency Account
Santa's transportation tends to break down right in the middle of major blizzards. Only last week, he had to whip out his credit card to pay for sleigh-towing. When Santa finally made it to the repair shop, he again had pay for the sleigh repair with credit. Just last year, he nearly had frost bite after his brand new sleigh had broken down.
3. Santa Lives Paycheck to Paycheck
Santa cashes his paycheck at the North Pole Bank, but most of the money gets spent before it makes its way to his checkbook. If it makes it there, most of the money is already owed to the credit card company. Santa has no other money set aside.
4. Santa Doesn't Enjoy Balancing His Checkbook
Santa forgets to balance the checkbook. He spends money, but is never sure what he has available to spend. Santa doesn't know how to build in some fun to help him enjoy working in his checkbook.
5. Santa Spends His Raises and Bonuses
Santa got a nice raise back in January, following his Bonus check in December (bonus based on number of chimneys completed for the year). He thought he'd have plenty of money this year. But Santa likes nice, updated equipment at all times. He bought brand new gear for all his reindeer, even though last year's would have done the job.
6. Santa Eats Most of His Meals Out
Since Santa's job requires that he spend a large amount of time traveling, Santa tends to eat out way too much. He also has to feed his reindeer each time he sits down to eat. The tips alone are enough to keep him in the poorhouse.
7. Santa Lives on the Edge
Santa keeps himself so busy that he can't sit down and plan his life. He hasn't set up a plan to build extra money into his checkbook, nor has he made a decision to actually save any of his money. Even setting up automatic deposit would be helpful. Another emergency could wipe him out. (No more Santa?)
8. Santa is Not Preparing for the Future
Santa, jolly fellow that he is, has no money set aside to work for him. He may end up working until his hair is much whiter (or gone). It's pretty much a given that Santa will need to replace that sleigh and maybe even some of the reindeer over the years. Because most of his money now goes to pay off credit cards, Santa just can't picture tucking away any money.
9. Santa Spends Too Much on R & R
Even Santa needs a little rest and relaxation after all that hard work. If he runs out of cash, he charges it. (No, I promised not to tell what Santa does for R & R. He does know who's been naughty or nice ...)
10. Santa Can't Stay Motivated
Santa gives himself a good lecture from time to time. He knows he should be doing better, but he just can't get any traction. Saving his money seems like an overwhelming obstacle. Santa hasn't discovered there are tricks out there to make saving money a fun thing, something he can look forward to doing.
About The Author
Darlene Arechederra offers simple, unique strategies to help you become a saver. She believes the trick is to discover which ideas work best for you -- because your money is not one-size-fits-all. Discover your *own* unique strategy today! Free weekly newsletter. http://www.RatRaceRemedies.com
AP - The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution Thursday night calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces in Gaza. The U.S. abstained from the 14-0 vote.
AP - A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.
AP - The many Bernard Madoff investors who withdrew money from their accounts over the years are now wrestling with an ethical and legal quandary. What they thought were profits was likely money stolen from other clients in what prosecutors are calling the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Now, they are confronting the possibility they may have to pay some of it back.
AP - In grainy cell-phone videos played over and over on the Internet, police officers force an unarmed black man to the ground and hold him face-down on a crowded train platform. Suddenly one of the officers draws his gun and fatally shoots the man in the back then looks up.
AP - U.S. policy to win in Afghanistan must recognize the poor nation's limitations and its neighborhood, especially its intertwined relationship with U.S. terrorism-fighting ally Pakistan, the top U.S. military commander in the region said Thursday.
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Reuters - The U.N. Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip but Israeli warplanes launched intermittent attacks on Friday.
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Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.
Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Reuters - Al Qaeda's operations chief in Pakistan and a top aide are believed to be dead, a U.S. counterterrorism official said on Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest results of a campaign targeting the militant group's leadership.
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AFP - The UN Security Council voted to call for an "immediate, durable" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces, but the United States abstained.
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