“My card declined at DollarTree!” a certain someone wailed over the phone. She sounded surprised about the incident.

“Didn’t you know you were running low on cash?” I asked. “You can check your balance on your phone or laptop.”

“Yes I can. But imagine the embarrassment! I only wanted to pick up a box of candy and my card declined for 99 cents!”

“Aww.” I tried to sympathize but the only way to avoid such embarrassment is to check your account regularly. Your bank, business, insurance, any account is your responsibility. You need to:

• Check your balance weekly, and if your balance is low, check daily.
• Review your cashflow. Are you spending more than you can afford? Note, every candy, cookie, and coffee costs $$$. Each dollar spent reduces your bank balance so don’t discount any spending as “only a dollar.”
• Open a savings account and always put some money away every paycheck. Link your savings with your checking accounts so that you may avoid the ‘no funds’ awkwardness.
• Make a budget. This lets you know what’s coming in and what you should allow to go out. If you have not budgeted for an item, don’t spend money on it.
• Avoid compulsive buying. There’s no reason to get snacks every day. Shop in bulk, portion out your snacks, then take what you need from home daily.
• Think of ways to grow your money and not ways to shrink it. If you focus on growing your bank balance, you wont be distracted by the unlimited number of purchases you can make in a day. This follows the rule that states, “focus on what you want to grow in your life.”

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