A few days ago, I was talking to a friend of mine. She mentioned that she had seen an advertisement or something on Facebook for a product that can help you lose a whole lot of weight ridiculously quick. She seemed intrigued. I wasn't interested. The product seemed like a) a scam and b) nothing but a quick fix. And I am not a fan of the quick fix. I prefer to do things the hard way, working towards a goal through effort and committment, relishing in both victories and setbacks. Also because maybe I hate myself a little.
Because when it all comes down to it, a quick fix doesn't change behavior. And if you don't change the behavior, you'll be right back in the same situation after the fix is gone. And that is not something that appeals to me.
Let's look at this situation as an example: a single 30 year old woman with no dependents–just a dog–finds herself in over $10K of credit card debt because maybe she has a crazy shopping addiction that's so bad she can't even remember buying half of what she has. Stressed about money, she tells her mom that she's deep in debt (with this as her only debt) and the mother, rather than sympathizing or pointing her adult child in the direction of resources to get herself back on track pays. Off. The. Entire. Amount.
What do you think happened next? Yup. The woman wound up back in credit card debt. Because she didn't have to change any habits or learn new behaviors that would prevent it from happening again. The problem just went away with a quick fix. There was no opportunity for her to learn…well, anything. And given her personal situation, it would have been the perfect time for her to learn to budget. Or not shop as a sport. Or pay attention to the price of things. Or how to cook and bring lunch from home instead of ordering in from expensive NYC take-out places. Or adjust any number of the dozens of bad financial habits that put her in credit card debt. Twice.
The hardest part about watching this unfold is that she tuned out most practical advice. Until she met her now-husband and they went through some horrible financial situations together. That shocked her into reality and she realized no rapid solution could turn it around. Just good old fashioned dedication and work. And although she still shops for sport, she's way more conscious of what, when, and how much she spends (because her husband took away her credit cards so she's learning to pay with cash. Major behavioral change there). Also she downsized many of her things. Which is another huge step and major behavioral victory.
As a result, she's out of debt again which is awesome and I am so proud of her. I'm confident it won't happen a third time because working through her debt repayment the second time took actual dedication and effort. She made necessary habitual changes. She remembers how much it sucked to pay it off. She learned the necessary lessons that the quick fix couldn't teach her.
This story is just one in a sea of stories explaining why a quick fix almost never works. Not only do they leave you looking for the next one and send you into a very dark cycle, but in order to affect change in the long run, you have to put in effort. Make changes. Learn new habits and ways of thinking. Adjust behaviors. Realize that the work is worth it because while the quick fix solves the problem temporarily, it doesn't make it go away.
And I don't know about you, but I'd like my problems to go away permanently. Not just for a weekend.
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LOVE this, Jana. We have a few people like this gal in our lives, people that are continually being bailed out. As difficult as it is (jealous wise, I am admitting) to see them being handed cash to fix their problems, I’m glad that we are working our own way out and learning our own lessons. It truly is better that way, cuz it’s for keeps.
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…June Recap – Happy 6 month Anniversary and the Three-Legged Goat
There are no quick fixes for anything! You didn’t gain the weight in a day, you cannot expect to lose it as fast either. Money and managing your money is similar. What is the outcome? What do you need to do to achieve it. Sometimes it means changing in order to achieve the long term goal.
krantcents recently posted…Why using your Facebook Friends to get referred into jobs beats job boards
Um. Did you write this about me? No, because that would be weird since we don’t know each other. But this exactly happened to me and yes, a bailout like that didn’t change my financial habits either. In my case, I maxed out my credit card and budget by paying the rent for deadbeat roommates, flying to my best friend’s wedding in Hawaii on short notice, emergency vet bills, car repairs, oh, and some retail therapy. Then one day I realized I didn’t have enough money to pay for the train to get to work, much less to buy food for that week. So I called Mom and Dad. After a talking to, they paid off my $3000 credit card balance. Thanks Mom & Dad! I was embarrassed and swore it wouldn’t happen again. But my habits stayed the same and good old American Express thought me even more credit worthy now and upped my limit to $6000, which got maxed out again for all the same lack-of-saving-for-emergencies-and-overspending reasons. Lesson not learned. Now I am chipping away ever so slowly, but I am learning something this time.
Alice @ Earning My Two Cents recently posted…6 Ways to Ask For A Discount (Even If You’re Scared)
Hi Jana! I can’t count how many times my well-meaning family and friends bailed me out of my own bulls*%t financial messes. It wasn’t until people started saying no to my crap that I started smartening up.
Like you say, the time I started doing it on my own is when I learned things and changed things.
Lindsey @ Cents & Sensibility recently posted…Cell Phone Plans & Weekly Review: July 1 – 7
Oh, quick fixes… how I used to rely on them! It only feels worse in the end though. The time is going to pass anyway, so why not use it to really make a lasting change? Great post!
Melissa @ How to be Shy recently posted…Yoga… My Nemesis
Good post. If you don’t get to the root of the problem you don’t really fix- it you just band aid it. Quick fixes are never a good idea because they only hurt you in the long run when the problem “comes back”.
KK @ Student Debt Survivor recently posted…Mom Manages the Money
If you want new advice read history. If you want old or out of date advice read new books! Most of the great philosophers provided solid direction on how to live. If you want to lose weight – eat less and exercise more. If you don’t want money problems – spend less than you earn. If you want to be brave, start by doing brave things. I agree…there are no quick fixes only wise lifestyle choices.
Alex@CreditCardShoppe.com recently posted…Are you prepared if you lose your job? Five things you should have ready.
Yes Jana, you are right. Quick fix schemes will never work. One good example is weight loss programs that guarantee you to lose pounds in a few weeks. These will never work. It all depends on the lifestyle of people and will power too. Thanks for sharing these thoughts.
David S. @ PBC recently posted…Personal Bankruptcy Blog Carnival July 10, 2013