Can I Live? The Price First Theory

Can I Live? The Price First Theory
By: MrJackBrickhouse (@GotMYShades) cabdoffical.com 
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As one Mr. Shawn Carter a.k.a. Jay-Z asked the world on his debut album "Reasonable Doubt" back in 1996, "Can I Live?" is a question that many of us find ourselves pondering all too frequently in today's society.  Each day many individuals find themselves having near panic attacks when thinking about the state of their finances. "It's scary!" I have heard from a variety of people in various conversations. Many of us are a payday away from an extremely bad day. If that pay check doesn't hit when it's supposed to, your life turns into a new version of The Great Depression. How so some of you may be wondering? Well, some of us have already used that extension date that these paycheck suckers have allowed us to set up so that services aren't interrupted. So if you don't pay on time on this go around, it's you hanging out with your four year old. Afterwork! All Weekend! You are the entertainment! You are "SpongeBob Squarepants" and your house is now, "The Loud House." Some of you are checking your account now to make sure the cable is going to be paid on time! LOL. But seriously, utilities are going to be cut, property may be repossessed, cell phones cut off, and many other things contingent upon how you live your lifestyle. Notice all of the things I named included nothing for the person paying all of these bills. Once you pay your bills and take care of the kids needs, there is usually little money left for you to spoil yourself.

On the other side of the coin, there is sometimes a point where you actually are able to store away a few dollars, but just before you are able to put that money down on that vacation, a major issue comes along that drains not only your money out of your account, but pushes that dream vacation back yet another 6 months.  It's a vicious cycle that can be hard to break. Now I won't say I have a quick fix solution to this beast of an issue, but I do have a theory that can at least plant a seed that sprouts into a more debt free you.

What's this theory that can help you plug the leak in that fountain you refer to as a bank account? I call it the "Price First Living" theory. This theory was inspired by the contents of this photo to the left.  Awhile back at my local Walmart, perusing the shelves in the bread aisle, comparing the current trends in bread pricing, I discovered this new brand that they were selling simply called Price First. Now I'm from the midwest, so I'm used to a name like Centrella as the generic brand. And of course since I'm at Walmart, I am friendly with Great Value and Sam's Choice. But Price First? Price First? Talking about a slap in the face. First off, this brand didn't put any type of creative thought into the first thing you see, the name of the brand. You know why they didn't? It's because they know their target market. This distributor with this title is saying, "You don't care about creativity, you care about Price First! You don't care about how the packaging looks, you care about Price First! You don't even care about the ingredients that they used to make the bread, you care about Price First! Which is why when you extend your arm to grab that Price First loaf of bread for $.88 a loaf, regular price if I may add, you never think to ask yourself why is every other bread on the shelf at least like a dollar more than your bread. What kind of corners are they cutting that they can drop the price that low, that there is no one even close to competing with their pricing? But as I'm sure their marketing department informed their CEO, these people will buy anything because they shop Price First.

Constantly being bombarded with how poorly the economy is doing, celebrities on television pushing whichever brand paid them the most, or scrolling your favorite social media source, your attention is being contorted like a gymnast competing in a good game of Twister with it all funneling towards convincing you to open up your bank account. We wind up in a pinch, pinch, splurge type of situation where you pinch pennies in various parts of your budget to splurge in one specific category of your budget at a later time period. For example, to not have to push that vacation back 6 months, you may neglect a major bill such as a car payment or rent payment. You decide when you get back from your wonderful vacation, that you will just double up on the payment you missed and get back on track with no problem. So you hand the "bag" off to the travel agent, and off you go. The vacation is great until that last day when it materializes as you sip that last margarita that shit is about to get real! Once back, everything is going as plan, you will have the money this payday, you receive your paycheck and on the way to the bank your car shuts down. The quicksand has magically formed beneath your feet once again and you are sinking fast.

Now that you know the traits of the "Price First Living" theory, the next step is to identify where in your life you are putting energy towards this practice and change your approach to your spending habits. Instead of attempting to follow in the tire marks of another person's lane, create your own lane. That MK bag may look good on her, but find what looks nice on you in your budget. The new Jordan's or Lebron's many look super fly on your buddies feet, but find what makes you look fly that is in your budget. It's nice to take 5* vacations, but you want to be just as comfortable on the return from the vacation, as when you were actually on the vacation. As with many things in life if you change your perspective on a situation, the outcome of the situation usually reflects the new perspective you put on it. So instead of buying $.88 loaves of bread, $.78 bottles of ketchup or mustard, or $.48 boxes of macaroni and cheese where you don't know the contents of the ingredients of the product, splurge on yourself in everyday life. It's great to be laid up on that beach for a few days, but it's tough when you realize it's Top Ramen time because you over extended your budget! LOL. So the next time you feel yourself penny pinching on a daily necessity, put down that Price First brand and ask yourself "Can I Live?" and pick up that loaf of Wonder Bread!


~MJB~




MrJackBrickhouse is a producer, public speaker, podcaster, blogger, and author who is on a mission to positively impact the world. With his finger on the pulse of society, he strives to revive the "anything is possible" attitude that is usually lost in our transition into adulthood.







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