Hippie Green Beret

The Path to Freedom & Unconventional Wealth

Fat and in Debt? Make those Stretchy Pants Optional.

by HippieGreenBeret
Picture from: https://memegenerator.net/instance/52084866/nacho-libre2-sometimes-i-wear-stretchy-pants

Have you ever noticed that when you put on a few pounds, its way easier to keep putting on the weight? That your mid-section starts to jiggle when you walk down the stairs, that your neck has a couple extra rolls in pictures, or when you have to run to cross the street to not get run over, you’re immediately winded?

Well, I don’t ever feel that way… because I’m a barrel-chested, flat-bellied, steel-corded Green Beret…

Debt is the same way. A little won’t hurt, right? Well, the debt habit is easy to pick up and really hard to get rid of. It’s set up that way. Just like getting fat. It’s easy to put on a few pounds, blame it on the dryer shrinking your pants… and then, in no time, you need a whole new set of stretchy clothes.

So what’s the alternative? Don’t go into debt. And don’t … well… you get it.

It’s much easier to maintain your fitness level when you are lean, limber, and have muscles. Same with your money habits. Make healthy fitness habits and financial habits a part of your life. Set a routine.

Small Wins

  • Pay off your debt / Eat clean and do something physically hard everyday (maybe take Sundays off. Or Mondays. But Monday is leg day…)
  • Auto Invest / Get up in the morning and do PT.
  • Spend less that you earn / Eat less than you burn.
  • Don’t buy stuff you cannot afford / Don’t eat that donut… or do 50 extra pushups before you eat it to break even.
  • Track your progress. I recommend Personal Capital for financial fitness / Use a notebook for physical fitness.

So what happens if you’re already in debt or your go-to pants super-stretchy waistband is maxed out? Don’t fret. You can do something about it. It’s called GRIT.

Muscles are like a machine. So is your portfolio. Do a little every day.

Muscles are a furnace in your body. Muscle burns fat. Muscles propel you forward. Muscles make your pants fit better. Muscles make you a hit with the ladies*. Same with your financial fitness.

Crush Debt

Start shedding debt. It will take some time. This is where GRIT comes in. Just grind it out. Use the debt snowball**. You eventually become debt free. Once you get this sorted out, you go beyond the tipping point, because your financial muscles (and real ones) are being used habitually.

Build Wealth

After cutting debt, it will be slow-go again for awhile. Growth takes time. Take all that money you put towards debt and invest it. And by crushing your debt, and now investing this new found money into your portfolio, your financial muscles are legit. And your portfolio becomes a machine in itself. When dividends and yearly returns surpass your auto-investments you are at a tipping point. And then, at that point, stretchy pants are optional, because you are truly a barrel-chested, flat-bellied, steel-corded financial beast.

*Or men. It’s 2021, bro!

**a la Dave Ramsey, Total Money Makeover. Or you, as a psychologically aware individual who understands himself and math, and can grind through anything, pay off the highest interest rate first, not the smallest amount.