Step by Step to Financial Freedom

By admin|January 7, 2017|Blog|0 comments

Revolution Step #1

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The first step to our maneuvers is a budget.  Oh, c’mon…you had to see that coming!  I have a feeling you already knew it anyway.  Without question, this has to be where we start on our quest to living more simply.  If you consider how many times a day you think about “money” and all that goes with it including all the worry, wouldn’t it make sense to put all that “thinking” to rest? Think of the time you would have for other stuff.   If we calm this part of our lives down with a budget plan, then we can move on to other areas; and with the peace of knowing that our “money life” is in order.

If you’re starting to “twitch” now because this conversation makes you uncomfortable, then let me make a couple of suggestions:

Suggestion #1:

Look this giant square in the eye and say, “You don’t scare me anymore!”  Then sit down with a pen and paper and “simply” write down how much you bring home on one side and all the bills you have to pay on the other.  Subtract the two.  Do you have money left over or do you not? If you do, then you have the first step ALMOST completed.  I say almost, because if you do have money left over, then you need to give it a home or, like sand, it will slip through your fingers.  The job isn’t done until you have assigned those dollars a place.  Do you put them in savings or do you pay down on debt?

If you don’t have enough, then you start looking for ways to fix it such as getting a part-time job, cutting your expenses wherever you can or going through your stuff to see what you can sell.  If you have limitations that will keep you from getting a part-time job outside the home, then can you do things for your neighbors to make extra money like baby/pet sitting, grocery shopping for them when you go for yourself or home cleaning services? Where there’s a will, there’s a way!  You’re in charge now!

Suggestion #2:

Contact us for help.  We have been working with families and budgets for over ten years.  If this process stresses you out to a point where you ditch the whole thing, then you need to find someone to help walk you through it.  I understand this doesn’t come easy to some just like algebra doesn’t come easy to me.  Ask for help and get this done.  Keep in mind, this step is the foundation for those to come. Don’t let this stop you before you even get out of the gate.

When you go through the process of looking at your finances, you get a real no-nonsense look at your spending.  Do you have a good idea of where your money is going?  It may sound rudimentary, but I can’t tell you the number of people I counsel and this is the first thing they say to me.

Let 2017 be the year you no longer “coast” through your day, month or year without  knowing what’s happening with your money.

You tell your money where it should go. You are in charge now!

I was watching a documentary on tiny homes this week and this lady made a comment that I thought was very profound.  She said that she has learned a lot about “unconscious living” and that her new goal in life is to never live unconsciously.” It caused me to pause and think about how I’ve been going through my days and I am guilty of that very thing.  How many days could I look back on and couldn’t tell you what I did that day?  I was on mental auto-pilot.  Do you ever do that?

If you remove yourself from living in the moment and feeling each step you take, then you could miss something real important.  You could make a mindless decision that could blow up your progress so far. And who would that mindless decision affect? You…your kids….your plans for next month?

“BE” in every moment.  Live your “money life” intentionally, deliberately and consciously!

You are in charge.  So make a plan and follow it and then….

BAM!

Step #1….Done!

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