• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money

Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money

Family, Marriage, Finances & Life

  • Toolkit
  • Contact
  • Lunch
  • Save A Ton Of Money
  • About Clever Dude
  • Our Editorial Commitment

Finances & Money

Stupid financial mistakes? Blame a river in Egypt!

January 21, 2007
By Cleverdude
- Leave a Comment

Ok, I’m known for really stupid jokes. I didn’t mean The Nile. I meant DENIAL!

About 80% of the stupid financial decisions are made out of denial of several things:
1. That we have to answer to a higher power, whether it be God, our parents, our conscience, or our spouse.
2. That we just don’t have the money for the purchase
3. That we should really take more time to research the decision

The other 20% of stupid financial decisions are just stupid.

But, for those of us who won’t admit that we’re making a mistake, and just go headlong into an irresponsible purchase, we need to listen to that little voice inside of us saying

“You don’t need a new car”

“You can do without that latte”

“Stop picking your nose”

“Keep walking past that McDonald’s. You have groceries at home”

However, our pride gets in the way and we refuse to listen to reason. The only way we’ll win this war against stupid financial mistakes is to listen to that voice and stop picking our collective nose.

Related Posts

  • 10 Behaviors That Can Make Even a Loving Husband Emotionally Check Out
    10 Behaviors That Can Make Even a Loving Husband Emotionally Check Out

    Emotional distance in a marriage rarely appears overnight. It builds quietly through repeated moments that…

  • garages
    9 Items Stored in Garages That Invalidate Insurance Claims

    When you think about your garage, you probably see it as a safe spot for…

  • How to Save Money On Your Energy Bill

    Energy bills can be a significant expense for many households, especially during extreme weather conditions…

  • power tool misuse
    The Tools You Brag About But Don’t Actually Know How to Use

    Let’s face it—having a decked-out garage feels good. Rows of neatly hung tools, high-end power…

  • Emotional defense mechanisms
    7 Masculine Traits That Are Actually Emotional Defense Mechanisms

    Masculinity often comes with a set of expected behaviors—stoicism, dominance, independence—but not all of these…

  • Evaluating Home Owning Costs Between the U.S. and Canada

    Homeownership can be one of the most significant financial decisions in anyone's life, and whether…

Avatar photo

About Cleverdude

Mike founded CleverDude.com in June 2006 while working as a technical analyst in the Washington, D.C. area. A Penn State graduate, he built the site as a side project alongside a white-collar career that included earning a master’s degree and multiple promotions.

In five years he wrote nearly 1,300 articles on personal finance and life lessons drawn from his own experience. The blog grew from a hobby into a recognized early voice in the personal-finance community and generated meaningful revenue. He sold the site in 2010, continued as a guest contributor through 2015, and returned in 2023 after further career advances, paying off his home, and extensive travel.

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Are we preaching to the choir? at Clever Dude says:
    January 22, 2007 at 9:40 am

    […] As I mentioned in my previous article “Stupid financial mistakes? Blame a river in Egypt!“, many people get themselves into financial trouble because they deny that they cannot afford something, or must answer to someone else (spouse, parents, kids, God) on each purchase. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Most Popular Articles

Are you feeling the call to be a Clever Dude? Then, let's get down to brass tacks and explore what it takes to be one. Get ready for an in-depth look into the anatomy of someone who exudes cleverness!

There's nothing like hearing you're clever; it always hits the spot!

Footer

  • Toolkit
  • Contact
  • Lunch
  • Save A Ton Of Money
  • About Clever Dude
  • Our Editorial Commitment

Copyright © 2006–2026 District Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us