How Are Your Finances?

Having a solid financial footing is basic to confident and skillful living. If your finances are in disarray you will be unable to fully focus on other aspects of life you want to change or accomplish. Your mind will always be circling around to “the money” – that’s the way money works.

I want you to get the most out of the year – and that starts with getting your finances in order.

I just read a story about a couple and both had “good” jobs. They had a nice house and drove nice cars. Their wake-up call came when she was at the grocery store. With maxed out credit cards, zero savings and a negative balance in their checking account, she couldn’t buy groceries. They talked about the shame and embarrassment they felt, and they wanted to not only get out of debt but also stop living paycheck to paycheck.

Guess what they did? They paid off $52,000 debt in seven months! That’s impressive.

How did they do it? They listed nine steps and I want to share them with you. For space constraints, I’ll list 1-3 today and we will continue with 4-9 over the next couple of week’s Tips. Maybe you want to work through these tips as a personal exercise?

It’s important to note that while these steps sound even too simple, or are basic common sense, they obviously weren’t common practice for this couple! Are they common practice for you?

Ready for the tips? Here you go:

1. Write down your goals. The more laser focused you can be, the better. You must own the situation and writing helps you do that.
2. Determine your spending priorities. “But I need it all.” You may “want” it all, but most likely you don’t “need” it all. We need food, housing, insurance, and healthcare for starters so cover these basics first.
3. Assess your current spending habits. Review bank and credit card statements from the last few months to see where you are really spending your dollars? See the patterns – AND the inevitable surprises.

Cutting back and getting your finances in shape is a freeing, uplifting experience, not sheer drudgery so keep a check your mindset. To be continued….as always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback.