Time to Feng Shui your Money House!
Too many smart women are are suffering needlessly around the subject of money. I’ve been there myself, so I know firsthand how much it S-U-C-K-S.
Just like with your home, bringing conscious awareness into your “money house” can bring some serious Moolah-Mojo back into your bank account and your future financial outlook.
So this month it’s all about redesigning your habits, throwing out your limiting beliefs and rearranging your money priorities so that the energy can flow more smoothly and abundantly into your open, outstretched arms.
But first-things-first: you’ve got to take a cold, hard, honest look around this space of yours. Opening your eyes is the first order of business — it’s time for you and I to sit down for a heart-to-heart truth-telling session.
You and I both know that without being TOTALLY, completely, 100% honest about where things stand, it’s easy to put your head in the financial-sand and get stuck there for a long, looooooooooooong time.
So first take a look around your Cash-Condo or Moolah-Mansion — how does your house really look? Scan through the following list and put a mental check-mark beside the 1 that stands out the most:
1. Do you write down and log every penny that you spend, and earn?
2. Do you know where every dime of your money is stored or saved?
3. Do you know your net worth (the total amount of money you have)?
4. Do you have a clear debt repayment plan in place (if you have debt)?
5. Do you pay off your credit cards in full each month (if you use them)?
6. Do you pay cash for most everything, and avoid using credit altogether?
7. Do you pay your bills on time, or get late-payment penalties often?
8. Do you get hit with bounced-checks or overdraft fees regularly?
9. Do you have a clear spending plan or budget?
10. Do you spend less than you make?
11. Do you have a clear financial goal you’re working toward or a clear benchmark for your retirement?
12. Do you save money every month, automatically?
13. Do you have a good understanding about savings, investing, the stockmarket and finances in general?
14. Do you work with a financial professional or financial planner regularly?
15. Do you have at least 3 months of living explenses saved in a Rainy-Day fund?
These are just a few ideas to consider — areas where you can begin bringing awareness to your spending and saving habits.
So, which one stood out to you the most? And why?
Now take that item above and jot down just 1 small step you can take in the next 24 hours to get your financial-feng-shui movin’.
Some ideas of simple steps might be:
• Buy a small pad of paper to write down all your expenses
• Make a phone call to set an appointment with a financial planner
• Clean out your purse and organizing your wallet
• List your typical monthly expenses (so you can start tracking those categories and build a budget)
• Cut up 1 of your credit cards
Make sure to set a timer and ONLY spend 10 minutes MAX on this exercise.
If you work in bite-size chunks you’re far more likely to continue moving forward, and probably have a fun time doing it. But if you overwhelm yourself, you’ll likely find your butt back up in the air (and your head back down in the sand) in no time flat.
And who wants that?
Love,
Stephanie
PS:
If you enjoyed this article, you’re sure to FLIP for this one:
11 Money Types – Which Are YOU? = http://www.jointheunstoppables.com/2012/02/the-11-money-types-%E2%80%94-which-1-are-you/
© 2013 Stephanie McWilliams LLC
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