Resisting Money Peer Pressure
You all know about peer pressure and how tough it can be on you as a teenager. You may feel pressured into morally wrong things or even breaking the law, but have you ever thought about being pressured by your peers with money?
Think about it, how many times have you spent money on food, clothes, or anything because a friend told you to?
Even if they don’t directly say, “Hey, you should really buy those new shoes. They would look great on you!” Who knows, maybe they do, but you might find yourself purchasing them because you saw someone at school wearing them and feel like it’s just what you need to do.
You could also be pressured into spending money on food at a restaurant because everyone has agreed you want to eat after the movies. You don’t need the cliché, “everybody’s doing it” in order for it to qualify as peer pressure.
In order to know if it’s truly money peer pressure you have to ask, “Would I be spending the money if my friends weren’t here?”
Most often you wouldn’t.
This isn’t to say you should never spend money as long as you are around your friends. In fact, most of the time you spend money on fun things you are probably going to be with your friends.
This is a difference with this pressure as compared to most others. Being pressured into stealing, doing drugs, and the rest of the most common peer pressures is altogether wrong. It’s not wrong to spend money on a pair of shoes, so you might not automatically look at it as being pressured.
The best way to decide if it’s a peer pressure is not to. Instead of looking at each situation as, “is this person really trying to get me to buy this?” Look at it in conjunction with your budget.
Can you afford it right now? Should you be spending the money?
Don’t decide to buy the shoes because your friend thinks you should. Buy them because you want them and can afford them.
Always remember, the decisions you make now, especially when you’re young, will have an affect, in one way or another, on your future.