Hello Lovelies,
Welcome to another blog post! I’m writing this fresh out of the shower and ready to enjoy my morning cup of coffee.
I’ve been loving the weather lately. It feels more like fall going into winter than it does like Spring-Summer weather. It’s suppose to rain today and it has been raining for the past two days and we have lighting and thunder today.
Little fact about me: As a kid I would love staring off into the pouring rain. I would open up my window and just watch and listen to lighting and thunder, if I was lucky enough. I think it really has to do allot with my introverted soul that I find peace in natures sounds.
ANYWAYS, off to what you guys are here about, Money. It’s not news that this year one of my goals was to get my finances in order. I am not unique in anyway as most Americans have some sort of debt and finding a method that has finally worked for me has been important because I am able to share it with you guys.
Related Blog Post: The Dave Ramsey Baby Steps
I wanted to come back here and catch you guys up in my struggle and my successes with budgeting and following the baby steps. In the best way that any Millennial like myself knows, Bullet Points. Enjoy.
01. Real Emergencies no longer wreck your world
Having that cushion of $1000 set aside feels like an accomplishment on it’s own. If you have never saved up even this amount of money it can feel so rewarding to finally feel like you have something that will buffer yourself from any emergency. Trust me, the universe is going to test to see how serious you are willing to get about your finances. On February, just a month after I started Baby Step 2. My little puppy Hazel wasn’t able to move she was making noises that I had never heard her make before and she was getting real stiff, her limbs wouldn’t move at all. I took her to the emergency vet. It took the weight off the money and where I was going to get the money and instead I was completely focused on what was important to me, Hazels Health.
In the past If I would have had an emergency like this I would have probably just put it on my credit card and gone more into debt. Which in the long run, emergencies are going to happen, but having that security blanket allows us to have a little bit peace of mind when we need it. WITH OUGHT going into debt.
02. Temptations will be there
Being on a budget means you have to make a little bit of sacrifices. You have to align your money with what you value. In other words, all of a sudden you want to buy the latest watch, or the latest shoes etc.
If you really want something start slowing saving up for it. I really have been wanting a fitbit since my last one broke and I liked it. Thankfully, they have been going down in prices, but the best way that I can see myself buying one is by saving up little by little for it.
03. Enjoy your hard earn money
Something that I’ve have learned is that I have to enjoy my money as well. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but setting some money aside for a teat every month is good for the soul. If all your money is going to just paying off bills and debt you’ll get a little discourage. For instance, I gave up drinking coffee out, but once a month I like to treat myself out to a nice cup of coffee.
Another example, clothing and shoes are not a part of my monthly budget because I don’t shop for these things monthely. They are important to me which is why I treat myself to something every so often. Like I really wanted a nice denim jacket for the Spring time and giving that I have been doing really well and I FINALLY paid off my credit card I decided to treat myself and bought two denim jackets, with really nice quality and brands for both.
04. Think about the future
With point number 2 even though temptations have been there keeping your goals first is what makes us reach our goals. For Instance, one of my goals this year is to pay off half or more than half off my debt. Keeping it present in my life is what is going to help me achieve that specific goal.
A goal that I have been working on this year is visualization and learning to focus the mind. One of these goals is to focus on the things that I want in the future, visualizing my dream life. My goals. My aspirations.
I not only visualize how I would feel by being debt free, but I also write it down when I am journaling.
Example: With being debt free I know that I would be able to use that money to fuel one of my biggest goals in life, Traveling. I would be able to help out family if they needed it because I am no longer tied to student loans or to paying off a credit card that just keeps piling in the interests.
05. Keep it consistent
Something that has helped me has been writing down my budget and looking at my expenses both weekly and monthly. I have tried many things from apps, to computer spread sheets, to bullet journal sheets, but the one that I found has worked the best for me is just plain white paper split into three sections: expense name, amount, and notes. On the top section I write incoming money then at the end of the month I add up how much money I had coming in for that month and also add up my expenses for that month. If for some reason I had extra money lying around that month (which never really happens, maybe once.) I use that money towards my debt snowball.
06. Know that ALL of your sacrifices are worth it
I would highly recommend to follow other people that are in the same journey as you and if you have friends or family that are doing this with you then that is even great too. Take those supportive and encouraging communities. You can also use the #debtfreecommunity to keep yourself encourage and inspired by other peoples stories.
07. Commit to always learning
What I mean by this is commit to reading books, reading blog posts, listing to podcasts, and adding success stories in your social media accounts. If you surround yourself with people doing the same things as you. It will continue to keep you inspire and continue working towards your goal.
There are so many blogs and books and podcasts about the topic which is why educating yourself is really important. This also goes hand in hand with keeping your goals present because just like exercising and to see real progress this is something that you have do daily if not daily than 3-4x a week.
Commit to learning more and not just accepting something that someone tells you, but really feeling passionate about finding your own answers.
There it is the last seven lessons that I learned about finances so far. If you want to continue learning about my financial journey I try to post weekly.
xoxo, Adi
