The other day I got to thinking about that old adage “necessity is the mother of invention.” I’m certain that it’s true - and I believe that fully understanding this adage can help all of us learn to be more responsible with our money.

One recent example of a technique which has been invented to respond to a particular need: hypermiling. Hypermiling is actually a bunch of different techniques which are intended to maximize gas mileage. Hypermilers turn their engines off at stoplights. They roll out of parking spots in neutral. They whip demonically around corners so as to avoid braking. This is all, of course, in response to the recent rise in gas prices. These higher prices make extreme action necessary, which explains why people have begun devoting all kinds of energy to this type of inventive thinking.

The idea that “necessity is the mother of invention” is actually pretty obvious. I mean, all it’s really saying is that people snap to attention and develop creative solutions when problems present themselves. Most of us refuse to waste energy fixing what isn’t broken. Energy gets spent where it’s needed. That’s clear enough.

Let’s talk about another implication of the adage - one that’s a little less obvious but which leads to a very valuable realization. That is, people don’t solve problems until they absolutely have to. Most of us don’t whip out our inventive powers until we have no other choice. We prefer to sit on our laurels until the situation gets out of control.

I see this truism at work in the lives of people who are deeply in debt. Lenders disguise the necessity of actually paying off debts (in fact, I think you could say that credit card companies are only able to stay in business because they successfully mask what they’re all about - usury, not charity). Many people forget that they’re actually going to have to find a way to make good on their debts. People who are on a debt joyride eventually have to pick up the pieces. They’re eventually forced to rearrange their lives entirely to pay off the debts they’ve incurred. All too often, this only happens when the problem expands and it becomes painfully obvious that the only way out is to think creatively and reform old habits. But the creativity doesn’t come out until it’s forced out.

The way to avoid getting yourself into this kind of mess: always look ahead into the future. Understand the necessities that lie ahead. Understand that a $1,000 credit card purchase could end up costing you a lot more than $1,000 if you don’t pay it off at the end of the month. Understand that going into debt so that you can own your own residence instead of continuing to rent can ultimately save you money. By looking ahead in this way, you’ll find you’re able to make clearer decisions. You’ll find that you’re able to exercise your inventive powers without much effort at all.

Basically, to achieve financial success, you’ve got to invent new ways of doing things. You’ve got to deal with the human laziness that can destroy any of us if given free reign. You’ve got to conserve energy by not fixing what isn’t broken - but by fixing what will break before it breaks.

Being inventive, and recognizing necessity when it presents itself, will get you far. You can learn a lot from some of these old, crusty sayings!

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