The Crucial Lesson Tootsie Rolls, Gummy Bears, and Sugar Daddies Can Teach Us About Our Finances

As kids the corner store down the block was our little ghetto Disneyland. The front of the store lined with rows of mouth watering treats created just as much excitement, anticipation, and joy as a real amusement park.

Fiery red Hot Balls, cherry Nomaladors (Now and Laters as I later learned was the proper name), and Smarties tempted us. Sweet gooey Sugar Daddies, delicious chocolate Mr. GoodBars, tangy Apple Bazooka Bubble Gum, and Laffy Taffy all screamed for our attention, as did Everlasting Gobstoppers, Candy Necklaces, and Whistle Pops.

We had to make a decision. The limited funds represented by the jingling coins in our pocket necessitated it. This hard earned money garnered from working around the house or being in the right place when a generous grandparent was around would only go so far – a few indulgent pieces of candy at most.

Smarties over Lemon Heads? Good-N-Plenty instead of Butter Fingers? The decision was made more difficult by the glaring beady eyes of the store clerk growing inpatient with the excited band of kids clogging the front of his store.

But decide we did as we plopped our change on the counter and gleefully took possession of our treats, laughing and talking about our purchases on the way out.

Yet, as adults, we’ve lost that corner store discipline that served us so well as kids.

In the grown up candy store of life we want it all. We’re no longer content deciding between Jujubees or Tootsie Rolls. We want the Jujubees and the Tootsie Rolls.

No longer do we make the tough choices. We want it all – the McMansion and the Lexus, and the designer handbags, and the Sony flat screen televsion, and the Country Day private school, and the expensive Caribbean vacations, and the Tiffany’s jewelry, and the trips to the Serenity day spa, and the Manolo Blahnik shoes and the . . . . . .

Yes we want it all – NO, we’ve actually convinced ourselves that we deserve it all. Child like discipline be damned.

As children we discovered that consuming all the sweets we desired would quickly make us sick. In adulthood we’ve failed to realize consuming everything we see has made us financially sick – debt up to our eyeballs, woefully funded retirements, and jobs we’re trapped in because we have to pay the bills. We’ve become prisoners of our own desires.

STOP. Think about this. As kids we were happy with our few pieces of candy. We didn’t leave with the whole store, just with the few pieces of candy that made us happiest.

As adults we can do the same thing. We don’t need it all. We simply need to make choices – purchase only those things that give us the greatest amount of enjoyment.

For some of us nice vacations may be our Jolly Rancher, for others a large home may be our Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

If eating out at fine restaurants is your York Peppermint Patty and owning a McMansion is your Twizzlers then enjoy, but be certain to put the Pixie Stick (Lexus ES 350), Clark Bar (spa membership), and Milk Duds (designer handbags) back on the shelf.

Like many men electronic gadgetry of all types is my Baby Ruth. From Ipods to computers to flat screen televisions, I’m a tech junkie. Yet, I realize that to live a balanced financial life I need make choices and forgo other things that I enjoy less than my electronic gear. In my case I rarely eat out, avoid purchasing super expensive cars, and I seldom take vacations abroad.

Go ahead. Make the child like choices. Remember having it all only makes you financially sick. Spend money on what brings you the most happiness and put the rest back on the shelf.

This will allow you to live a life you enjoy, keep you clear of crushing debt, and ensure a secure financial future.

So what’s your Sour Apple Stick, your Baby Ruth – and what can you deal with putting back on the shelf to ensure a financially fit life?