Why can't Americans save money?

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It is a sad fact of American life - many people just can't seem to save money. There are many reasons for this, and many things that people can be done, but they just can't bring themselves to do it. This is leading to a lot of problems of unhappiness, as financial difficulties (which comes from not being able to save money) can be one of the biggest stressors in life, leading to unhappiness and unfulfillment with life and with many relationships. One of the biggest reasons for divorce (which is far too rampant in our society) is concerns and stresses about money.

One of the biggest reasons that some people just can't seem to save is because they simply have the wrong mindset. They think they "need" to have everything they really want, and then they spend more money than they should. In essence, they try to "keep up with the Joneses," either on a larger scale or a smaller scale. Many people feel entitled to have things, so they buy them whether they can afford to or not. This means that they're spending money that they should be saving, causing them to fall deeper into debt.

Another reason is people seem to have no vision or focus on the future, or have the idea that they can just worry about that later. With such a narrow vision, they don't see the harm in spending their money on luxuries rather than saving for retirement, or saving to set up and emergency fund. As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now. Saving money is not something you can put off, because you are wasting time when you do that, time where the money could be growing.

So that is why some people can't seem to save, for the most part they are not disciplined enough. They spend their money on things that they can't afford, or they just charge it, which puts them into a deeper hole. If they would just save the money that they needlessly spend on things they don't need, well, that would solve a lot of money problems that they might have. If people had fewer money problems, that would allow them to live happier, fulfilled lives. As money can be one of the biggest causes of stress, if people can save money and overcome that, we as a society can begin to grow.