Good morning Dinks. You may or may not know that I am extremely addicted to the movie Burlesque. For those of you who have not yet seen this amazing movie (and you are truly breaking my heart) it stars Cher and Christina Aguilera along with Stanley Tucci.
Burlesque is a classic story about a small town girl who moves to L.A. to follow her dreams and become a singer. To make a long story short her dreams do come true and she also finds love along the way. Burlesque is one of those movies that I pop into my DVD player on a rainy day and watch it over and over again every single week. I also try to catch it whenever it is on TV.
Burlesque is all about finding yourself and following your dreams but believe it or not the movie does have a financial undertone. Cher the owner of The Burlesque Lounge and she is in so much debt that the bank is going to foreclose on her mortgage, until Christina Aguilera comes along with her golden voice and saves the day.
So what can we learn about money from the movie Burlesque?
Always keep your money in a safe place. When Christina Aguilera first moves to L.A. she hides her extra cash in a Ziploc back in her toilet tank. When she gets robbed the thieves find her stash and take it. I personally very rarely keep more than $10 in my wallet and I never keep more than $60 or so in my apartment. I won’t tell you where I keep my cash stash, but it’s not in my bathroom. I know that we can’t always find a convenient ATM but if our money is safely stored away in a bank it is earning interest and it cannot be stolen if our house is robbed.
Don’t spend money that you don’t have. Cher got into debt because she had a bigger mortgage than she could afford. This is a mistake that doesn’t only happen in the movies. Every single day people spend money that they shouldn’t on things that they can’t afford. I spent $30 on lunch yesterday and I am still regretting it…one day later. I know it’s not the exact same situation as losing your house or your business but the underlying message is still the same…don’t mismanage your money. If you always spend less than you make then you will always have money.
You can count on friends. After Christina Aguilera is robbed she shows up on the doorstep of her friend and co-worker, of course he takes her in with no questions asked because that’s what friends are for. I know that money and family or friends don’t mix but the truth is that when you need them most your family and friends are probably the only people that you can count on.
Money doesn’t buy happiness. The man who is courting Christina Aguilera in the money is a very wealthy business man. He wines and dines her but she just doesn’t love him – despite her best efforts. People who are rich can work very hard for their wealth, but at the end of the day if you don’t have love what are you going to do with all of your money? It’s nice to have nice things, drive nice cars and live in a big home (if you want that) but if you can’t share your happiness with someone who loves you what is it all worth?
Photo by dance photographer
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
These are great lessons to learn. I am similar to you in that I rarely have more than $20 on me and my wife and I rarely have more than $100 in the entire house. That’s what banks are there for. Also, it seems so simple that you shouldn’t spend money you don’t have, but so many people don’t follow this simple rule.
Great tips to take from the movie! We like to keep a pretty well-funded cash stash, but it also isn’t in our car or house. And yes, friends and family make anything in life manageable…
Nice tips from the movie. I would also say diversify where your safe place with money actually is. Never put it all in one spot. If someone finds it they find it all and thats not a good thing. Never actually seen the movie but the wifey and her friends say it was good. Good friends and family members make things work a lot better but then watch out for those who always need more then giving.