Are You Big Hat, No Cattle?

I just finished reading the book “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach and while reading it, I was laughing because he’s using words that are true and it really tickles me. It was a good book for those who want to become a millionaire (which I think all of us would love to) and it’s also easy to understand. One thing that made me laugh which I also share with my hubby is this figure of speech he used “Are you Big Hat, No Cattle?” I didn’t understand what this means until I continue reading. He said in his book that:

People in Texas have a great way of describing someone who tries to look like more than he really is. They call him a “big hat, no cattle” guy. In other words, he may look like a wealthy rancher, but in fact there’s no ranch, no cattle, no nothing. Just a big hat and probably a fancy car.

He said that everyday, he meet people who look rich. You probably meet them too. They have nice clothes, drive nice cars, and sometimes even live in nice homes. But when you peel back their finances, what you find is that they don’t own what they wear or drive or live in. It’s all rented or paid for with plastic. All they really have is a heaping mound of credit card debt. Then he asked, “What about you?”

I know people who are big hat; no cattle individuals and I pity them for not saving in the future. I just can’t understand why there are people who are only thinking about the Now and not Tomorrow. Spending like a one day millionaire when they have money and the next thing you know, they’re borrowing money to other people. I think borrowing money is acceptable only when you really need it for emergency purposes but not when you run out of money because you spent too much expensive stuff to impress people that you don’t know. That’s nonsense for me. I better live comfortably and save for the future, especially when baby comes.