We’re so used to combing the words “Simple” and “Easy” that sometimes we think they mean the same thing. A Mac is simple and easy to use. Opening a new ING account is simple and easy. Shopping at Staples is simple and easy. See what I mean?

When it comes to getting your money management cleaned up, the rules are Simple. What you have to do is straightforward. But let me tell you boys and girls, there’s nothing Easy about it.

While experts want you to believe that you can clean up your money mess in Seven Simple and Easy Steps, executing those Seven Steps is The Big Test. When push comes to shove, it isn’t about knowing the steps, it’s about taking the steps. And that’s where the whole ball of wax can melt into an unmitigated mess.

 “Living below our means” is not a difficult concept to understand. So why are there so many people who aren’t doing it? Why are there people who buy whatever they want whenever they want, without a thought for how they’ll pay for it?

It’s simple. (Drumroll please.) It is TOO easy to spend money we don’t have when we have access to credit, and so it is so HARD to control our spending when we have no limits. We know we shouldn’t, but we do. And that makes “living below our means” seem like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with a yak on our backs.

We have become so used to satisfying our every whim, that we have regressed in our development (or not grown up at all), acting like little kids in a candy store every time we see something we desire. New TV? Yeah, I’ll take it. Never mind that I already have two perfectly good TVs at home. New car? Yeah, I’ll take it. Never mind that I’m being asked to pay a whopping amount of interest. New shoes? Sure, I’ll take ‘em. After all, they’re just $30, and who can pass up a deal like that?

The idea of spending less than you make isn’t rocket science, but it’s also not easy. It requires a commitment to living within your means. It demands that you prioritize saving. And it involves living on a budget and having the discipline to stay the course long term. Living within your means most of the time isn’t good enough. It’s an All Or Nothing Affair. And that can be a hard nut to swallow.

I recently gave a couple of chicks I was working with a nifty wallet that had an insert (like in the talking birthday cards) with my voice. Every time they opened the wallets they heard, “Nope, no way, you can’t afford it” or “Do you have the money to pay for that?” They got a good laugh out of it, and so did the people to whom they had to explain why they had talking wallets. One woman’s wallet went off during a course she was taking, and her instructor said she wanted a wallet just like it.

Of those of us who want to be better at managing our money, some of us have the internal fortitude to “Just Say NO”, while others need more help. And that’s why doing it with a Money Mate can make the difference between succeeding and slipping back into bad habits.

I’m one of your Money Mates. People write me all the time to say how much strength they draw from my blog. But you may need more than just lil’ ol’ me to keep you on track. Your “talking wallet” might be your best friend, your sister, or your mom. For just as people can talk us into doing dumb things, so too can they help us stay true to what we want to achieve.

Once you acknowledge that taking control of your money is Simple, but NOT Easy, you can arm yourself with the people you need to help keep you true to your new course. Find a Money Mate who loves you enough to help you. You have to love this person equally as much to be willing to let him/her guide you out of harm’s way. You should be able to laugh together at your moments of weakness – because there will be plenty.  And you should remember to say, “thank you” regularly to your Money Mate, because they’ve taken on a really, really, really HARD job.

Many people say they wish things were different in their lives. Many people want to make a change. But wishin’ and wantin’ won’t cut the mustard. If you are truly committed to making your money work for you, then you’ll find the strength to do the Simple but Hard stuff that’ll make you successful.