My money commandments

I developed some commandments that we are following in our attempts to get ahead. Here they are:

1)WE SHALT NOT HAVE CHILDREN: Kids have become a one-way ticket into the poor house, and are simply too expensive for most people to afford. We decided to get a dog instead. If you have an overriding maternal or paternal instinct, try babysitting. Otherwise, do like we have and just forget about having kids. It aint like the old days.

2)AVOID DEBT AT ALL COST: We have a home mortgage, but no other debt. Debt has become the modern day replacement for slavery. The credit card companies get you hooked on debt at 18%-30% interest and you become their slave to work it off. Pay as you go, as uncool as that sounds. People who collect interest get richer, people who pay interest get poorer.

3)THE GOVERNMENT WON'T HELP US: Our government is totally incompetent. I can't remember the last time they did anything useful. The government has known they need to fix Social Security and Medicare for many years but they do nothing. With all the major issues in the country today, Congress spent the summer holding hearings on steroids in baseball. Don't look for the government to throw you a lifeline, we must each save ourselves.

4)NOBODY IS IMMUNE: Everybody is being affected by the new economic realities. Some more than others, but in the end all of will be affected in one way or another. Even doctors and lawyers are now being outsourced.

5)DEAL WITH WHAT IS, NOT WHAT WE WISH IT WOULD BE: I have decided to stop complaining(for the most part) about the problems and just deal with what we think the realities will be going forward. For example, instead of complaining about Social Security, we will instead prepare for the probability that it will not be there for us, in whole or in part, when we retire. Preparation is our best path to success.