A Credit Check on Your Balance

[Sara Noel]

When we go to the bank for a loan they look at our debt ratio by calculating how much we spend on housing, how much we spend using credit cards, etc. Depending on the percentages (and of course, by our credit rating) they agree or don't agree to lend us the money we requested.

If you were to take one week and calculate your percentage for:
- Time spent at work;
- Time spent with your family and friends;
- Time spent improving yourself (whether by taking a course or reading a book, etc.);
- Time spent relaxing;
- Time spent sleeping;

what would your ratio be? Would you say you had a balanced life?

To keep our credit in good standing, we need to ensure we keep an eye on the percentages of where our money is being allocated. If we don't do this, we could end up with not being able to borrow money. The same principle applies to our time. Are we allocating our time in the right percentages? At times, it is difficult to keep a proper balance in our lives. But, over time, an improper balance will lead to problems such as:
- too much time at work leads to burn out;
- too much time with family and friends can cause anxiety with your work;
- too much time improving yourself will leave little time to apply what you have learned;
- too much time relaxing can lead to issues with your work; and,
- too much time sleeping can cause all kinds of problems!

I could flip everyone one of these points and comment instead on "not enough time". But, I think you understand what I am driving at. It is balance; we need it. The sad part is that some people pay more attention to their credit than they do to their own balance in life!


Stop and assess your ratio.
Do you have a life balance?

About the Author:
Catherine Pulsifer is one of the authors of Stress Less Country - a lifestyle change! A journey to a simplified lifestyle - visit the site for a collection of articles, thoughts, quotes, and stories on: simplicity, stress, gardening, recycle & reuse, country crafts, saving money tips, and Atlantic Canada. http://www.stresslesscountry.com

[mylittle4]

When we applied for our house loan I was very proud to see the loan officers shock when he realized we had no debt ratio. Our only debt now is our house.