Surprise Income: The Do’s & Don’ts

When I was in college, I had two extra holidays on my calendar: “Tax Refund” Day (I was always working or doing an internship) and “Student-loans-were-dispersed” Day. I celebrated these holidays every year…I decorated my closet with new clothes. I ate (sit-down restaurants), drank (top shelf baby), and was definitely merry. I told myself that if I got money that I didn’t expect, I could blow it all without feeling guilty…after all, “unaccounted for” money did not exist. That means that refund checks, birthday money, and even the “gas money” my grandmother slipped me every time I went to visit, all disappeared without a trace.

I want it all...and I want it now.

Maybe it’s the new Smartphone, or the fierce stilettos in the boutique window. Maybe it’s the new Madden for the Xbox. At some point, we have all seen an item that we had to have at all costs. There’s no feeling like getting something as soon as it hits the shelves; and when the object of your desire is right in front of you, it takes a strong person to fight the impulse to buy, buy, BUY!