Excessive Spending

What follows is a cautionary tale about excessive spending. If you don’t budget your finances and start saving now, you could end up penniless and alone, living in an exact replica of the Starship Voyager. Okay, well maybe this is an extreme case, but let it serve as a reminder to us all about the importance of saving our money instead of using it to fund silly dreams.

At some point in our lives, we’ve all wanted to buy something that could be deemed crazy. This is a true fact, and if you’re being honest, it simply can’t be denied. Take me for example- I’ve always wanted to own a pet monkey, but deep down I knew that just wouldn’t be a good idea. Maybe you’ve always been tempted to blow your savings on a mint condition ’69 Mustang or spend every last penny you have on plastic surgery. Whatever your dream is, it’s best to stop and think long and hard before you act upon it.

Apparently, Tony Alleyne, a resident of Hinckley, Leicestershire and a lifelong Star Trek fan, didn’t consider the ramifications of turning his London flat into a mirror image of the Starship Voyager. But $71,000, touch-panel blue lighting, porthole windows and a command console later, this die hard Trekkie has filed for bankruptcy.

Alleyne has amassed debt as high as $392,000 to help create his fantasy world, complete with vertical lights that allow him to be “beamed up” and a transporter room. One might question if at any point in the construction of his “ship,” did he wonder if getting two loans and maxing out fourteen credit cards wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to do.

I guess there is no use speculating about that now, because regardless, Tony Alleyne is deep in debt and bankruptcy has come knocking at the door of his very own Starship Voyager. Selling his ship might help, but really, is there anyone out there that would buy it?

The moral of the story is this: if you want to live long and prosper, you have to be smart about your money. Save. Budget. Think. You may love Grey’s Anatomy, but is there really a need to transform your home into the mirror image of Seattle Grace Hospital? Aren’t there better things you could be doing with your money? Consider the consequences before you act and both you and your finances will benefit in the long run.

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