Are you headed towards a financial disaster? You may not know it yet but your current lifestyle could be leading you into a pit of debt.

Financial problems usually creep and go unnoticed until it’s already too late and out of control. That’s why we need to be aware of the early stages of these money problems so that we could immediately begin rehabilitating our finances and save ourselves from financial stress.

Moreover, while some people are oblivious of their state, a good number also try to live in denial of their bad financial situation. They go on with their lives without doing anything to solve their money problems. If you’re one of these people, then I say it’s time for you to wake up and do something.

To help you evaluate your current situation, I’ve compiled a list of 36 tell-tale signs that you’re probably headed towards money and financial problems. If a good number of these symptoms apply to you, then it may be time for you to be more proactive with your finances.

1. You don’t have a monthly budget for your expenses.
2. You have a budget but you don’t stick to it often.
3. You don’t have an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses.
4. You don’t have adequate medical or health insurance.
5. You don’t have an idea how much you owe in your credit card and you’re not really interested to find out.
6. You only pay the minimum amount due on your credit card each month because that’s all you can afford.
7. You always pay late payment penalty fees in your credit card bills.
8. Your credit card outstanding balance keeps on increasing each month and already going near your credit limit.
9. You used a credit card to make a purchase and it got declined because you’re maxed out.
10. You are using your credit card not for leverage and the sake of convenience but because you don’t have money to spend for your necessities.
11. You’re taking out a cash advance from your credit card.
12. You take out new loans or get a cash advance to pay off old debts.



13. You get denied or turned down for a loan or credit card application.
14. You invest your money on financial instruments you don’t fully understand.
15. You issue check payments that you hope you can cover by the time it clears in the bank.
16. You have issued a check that bounced.
17. You frequently receive phone calls and letters that remind you to pay your delinquent bills.
18. You usually wait for the service suspension or disconnection notice to arrive before you pay your utility bills.
19. If you lose your job, you don’t know where to get the money to pay your next month’s bills.
20. You deliberately work overtime because you desperately need the extra cash.
21. You spend a lot after payday then you try to stretch what’s left until the next salary period.
22. You always tell other people that you need to start saving money but you don’t.
23. You believe that money is the root of all evil.
24. You don’t have any concrete long-term financial goals.



25. You gamble or bet on the lottery not for entertainment but because of financial desperation.
26. You buy impulsively and often purchase the things you don’t really need.
27. You shop when you’re depressed.
28. You lose sleep worrying about money.
29. You sleep too much so you could avoid thinking about your finances.
30. You’re a guarantor to too many of your friends’ loans.
31. You always say yes when a friend borrows money from you.
32. You are hiding the true cost of your expensive purchases from friends and loved ones.
33. You’re thinking of doing something illegal just to earn money.
34. You often depend on your parents or relatives to pay for your bills and expenses.
35. You’ve been contemplating of borrowing money from a friend.
36. You’re starting to have arguments about money with your spouse or loved ones.

Remember that financial problems don’t get solved by itself. It needs an active solution. You need to accept your situation and commit to change.

What more can you add to the list? Please share them below as a comment.

Lastly, if you’re interested in learning more on how you can improve your finances and solve your money problems, then please subscribe to Ready To Be Rich.

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Photos courtesy of pedrosales and -Mandie-