Worrying about money can be exhausting. Every time you make a purchase, the question of “can I afford it?” pops into your head. It can take the joy out of shopping for yourself and your family. But what if I told you there was an easier way to manage your finances? What if I told you that by simply shifting your mindset when it comes to money, you could eliminate stress and worry? This is exactly what happened to me and my family—and it changed our lives!
My Story
Summer was coming to an end and it was time to start preparing for colder weather. So I took my two boys to the store to pick out new winter coats. We browsed around and found the ones they liked best, purchased them and went home. I didn’t think much of it, but when my husband asked how much the coats had cost, I realized I had never even looked at the price tag!
We had gone shopping, picked out what we liked and bought it – all without once stopping to see how much it would cost or whether or not we could afford it! It was in that moment that I realized just how much budgeting had changed our lives. We went from pinching every penny, to freely spending without worry because we knew the money was there.
And that feeling was liberating!
Identifying Your Financial Fears
The first step in managing your financial fears is to identify them. What are the things that cause you anxiety around money? Is it not having enough saved up for a rainy day fund? Or maybe it’s fear of accruing too much debt or not being able to pay bills on time. Whatever the fear, naming it will help you start addressing it.
Taking Control of Your Finances
Once you’ve identified your financial fears, the next step is to take control of your finances. One way to do this is by creating a budget and sticking with it. Figure out how much money needs to go towards bills each month and how much should be put in savings or investments. Setting up an automatic transfer from your checking account into savings will help ensure that funds are set aside each month without having to manually move them yourself each month.
Changing Your Mindset Around Money
Lastly, changing your mindset around money can make all the difference when trying to reduce stress and worry about finances. Remind yourself that money is just a tool; something that helps us get what we need but isn’t necessary for true happiness or contentment in life. If you’re able to shift away from seeing money as something that controls you and instead recognize its power as something you have control over, this will help ease anxieties surrounding finance management.
Managing your finances doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful—it just takes some intentional planning and strategy! By identifying what causes you anxiety around money, taking control of your finances through budgeting and investing, and shifting your mindset around money itself, these steps will help remove financial stress from entering into other aspects of life so that you can focus on more important things like family and relationships! My story serves as proof that with careful planning and mindful practices, financial worries won’t stand in the way of living life fully with peace of mind!
