I became acquainted with the power of zero early in life. The power of zero was my financial plan. Very simple really. The nearer my balance approaches zero the slower my spending. Worth repeating, in bold, italicized, and indented:

The nearer my balance approaches zero the slower my spending.

Zero was that grand guardian against excess. The magical cipher to hold one solvent. Admittedly, I did the work. I was the one who was disciplined to keep myself from falling into the abyss of interest payments. There was nothing to it really. Of course with any simple plan there are pragmatic principles present on the periphery. The power of zero is bolstered by these simple truths:

• Borrow only for home, health, and education.
• Debt is worse than the plague.
• Be charitable.
• A bargain is not a bargain if you don’t need it.

Once you absorb this power into your life be careful to always be true to zero. I once went against my own rule of borrowing by getting a loan to take my family to Disney World. I borrowed thousands of dollars that then had to be laboriously paid back over several years, with interest. This is where I learned that once the zero barrier is broken, there is no resistance to further spending.

There is only one zero, nothing else has the power of nil. Fortunately I came to my senses, paid back the loan, and got on the positive side of zero again.

No, there is naught like the power of zero.