If your finances suck, youve probably picked up a book or two on how to manage your money.
Youve probably read, and even tried, to put the advice into practice.
But the most important money skill isnt one youll find in a book.
Financial rules are great, but theyre completely useless without resourcefulness.
As someone who writes about money, I was initially defensive.
But hes right: the basic rules of personal finance wont change your behavior.
You have toadaptthose rules to your situation.
There is such thing asbeing responsible to a fault.
One of the cornerstones of personal finance is getting out of debt.
I figured the more I followed it, the more awesome Id be at personal finance.
But that rule made me feel guilty for spending money onanythingthat wasnt a basic necessity.
It made sense on paper, but in practice, it destroyed my budget.
If I spent money on even the tiniest discretionary expense, I was screwed.
Eventually, I learned to tweak the debt rule to my situation.
That was a more resourceful plan, and in the end, it worked.
I made the rule work for me, rather than the other way around.
Learn to Seize Opportunities
Resourceful people look for opportunity in everything they come across.
I once knew someone who, in high school, found a huge surplus of free blank novelty pins.
Its a silly example, but it illustrates the point of resourcefulness.
Windfalls, a popular topic among personal finance circles, are no different.
Our natural inclination is often to spend it.
We didnt see it coming anyway, so whats the harm?
But that money could also be an opportunity to reach your financial goals, like paying off debt.
Theres nothing wrong with treating yourself, but acknowledging the opportunity that exists is resourceful.
Of course, opportunities arent always fun.
Recently, I asked her how she managed to do this.
There are plenty of opportunities weshouldnttake.
It drove me nuts, and I hated life.
For me, that misery wasnt worth my bottom line.
And being resourceful will go a long way toward your financial success.
Forget the Word Should
Onehugeobstacle in getting my money in order was the word should.
For example:
I work hard.
I should be able to spend my money however I want to spend it.
I should not have to ask for a raise.
My boss should just give it to me.
I should have a house by now.
I got a job.
I got out of debt.
WHEN DO I GET TO LIVE IT UP?!
I decided I should be able to spend without worrying about it, so I did just that.
I went to dinner all the time, boozed it up, bought fancy clothes, and so on.
I wanted to travel.
I wanted to move.
A lot of times, what weshouldhave is in direct conflict with what wecouldhave.
We use status quo as our frame of reference, but it doesnt have to be.
For example, owning a home has traditionally been a symbol that youve made it financially.
In short, should really gets in the way of resourcefulness when it comes to personal finance.
I know Im guilty.
I rolled my eyes and immediately wrote it off as useless advice.
I lived in Houston: public transportation sucked, and my job was across town from my apartment.
Selling my car was a terrible idea.
She wasnt suggesting that, though.
My reaction was not a resourceful one.
A resourceful person takes advice and finds a way for it to fit their own situation.
Maybe there was something else I could sell.
If the advice doesnt apply, move on and find another way.
Unfortunately, its easier to get stuck on what doesnt work and throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Its easy to get stuck on a lot of things, really.
Title illustration by Tara Jacoby.
