Do you think about money?

I’m pretty sure you do.  However, how do you think about money?  Are you someone who thinks about it positively or are you constantly thinking “I don’t have enough”?  It’s important because how you think about money will lead to the actions you will take (or not) around money.

There’s much out there written on your relationship with money.  Why?  Because many of us have a negative relationship with money and, hence, we have lots of debt and no money.  We spend more than we save and we have challenges being self-supporting on what we make.

You know the old rule of spending less than you make, but do you do it?  I didn’t.  And guess what? I was trapped in the loop of never having enough.  I always had to pay the credit card or loan… and let me tell you it’s a challenge to get out of that loop.  The interest on those credit cards kill you.  Just when I celebrated paying off a credit card, I’d get a bill that said I owned more!?  Say what??  That can’t be!  I called, I asked for the payoff figure, I paid it off.  Oh, but alas, there is that dreaded interest rate that just keeps on adding up.

So then how do we create a solid money relationship?  We need to do several basic things.  Notice I said basic, I did not say easy.  But then again, anything worth going for is never easy; there is always some skin in the game, sacrifices, dedication and hard work to be had.

Here are a few must dos in order to begin to create your own solid, positive relationship with money.

1. Spend less than you make.  Yes, there it is.  In order to do this, add up all of your monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly and yearly expenses and get a clear picture of what you pay out.  Then add up your income.  If the income is more than the expenses, awesome, go on to number three but if not…
2. Cut expenses.  Truly ask yourself what is essential to live (in other words what do you have to have) and what is optional.  Guess what?  Cable TV is NOT essential, nor is dinner out every night, take out, etc.  Get rid of non-essential expenses so that income is more than your expenses.
3. Track your income and expenses on a monthly basis.  Use pen and paper or any electronic means that makes sense to you – if you can have this process be fun, even better!  It is exciting once you start to see your expenses going down and more money in your pocket.
4. Get support and encouragement.  It’s not easy to make these changes on your own; if you could have you would have by now.  Have your spouse/significant other on board with you.  Ask a trusted, money-savvy friend or someone else you know to help you get started creating solid, positive money goals.

Keep in mind that there are more things you can do.  However, if you begin with this list, it’s a great place to start.

If you would like more information and steps to take, feel free to reach out to me.  If you want to know your money archetypes, send me an email at kim@kimravida.com with “archetype assessment” in the subject line. I’ll give you the assessment and a free session to go over what it means for you and how you can use them to improve your relationship with money!