Money is something that we talk and think about a lot. Many have an ambivalent relationship to money and uses this to explain the ways they deal with money. Here are some of the most common beliefs of why we are having problems when it comes to money:
I don’t understand anything about money and that is why I am not good with it
For years I believed that I was not creative. A not so smart teacher had made a remark to me in school and that belief just stayed with me for years until I started doing creative things and realized that I might not be super talented but I am actually quite good at it.
Many people tell me that they are just not good with money and in most cases I can confirm that they really aren’t – just kidding! Many times this belief comes from a stupid remark (like in my case), having a bad math teacher in school or something entirely different.
Money is really not that complicated and I think we can all learn to keep track of our expenses, keep a budget and learn a few basics of good money management. So what if we change the way we think from “I am not good with money” to “I am not good with money now, but I believe that I can learn and become better”? I think that that will be an important step in the right direction.
How can I save when I don’t earn enough?
This is actually something I hear a lot as many think, that in order to save money off our income, you have to earn a lot. As always, there a at least two sides of most stories, and also when it comes to freeing up money – for savings or other things – there are two sides to consider. On one hand, yes, in order to free up money, we can raise our income and get more money. On the other hand, we could also start to cut our expenses and free up some funds that way.
Sounds difficult and hard? Try off with making saving money a priority. Think about what this could give you; saving up for that holiday you always wanted, saving up for some security by having some money on hand for emergencies or just pay off your debts and become free of both debts and overdraft. Only you know you goals and dreams and that is why you should be the one to make the choice. Secondly, it doesn’t have to start off with huge amounts as even small sums is a start in the right direction.
Being on a budget means saying no all the time and it is boring
You might think to yourself that saving money and living according to a budget is boring and means saying no to things all the time! But what is the alternative? Let’s say you don’t save or keep track of what you spend. If you are in plus at the end of the month, have put away money for savings and have no debt then I don’t really have anything to say on the matter. But I most cases, unfortunately, that is not the case. So we might spend a lot but at the end of the day (or month) we are left with worries about the overdraft, debts and not really knowing where the money went and that is, in my opinion not worth it.
The budget is not really about saying no, anyway. It is about being more strategic and focused in the way that we spend our money. It is taking control of our life and finances and deciding according to our goal, dreams and priorities in life how I want to spend my life to live it as I want it, without worries and waste.
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