This post has already been read 2696 times!
This month we celebrated Financial Literacy Month at The Karmic Ally Coaching Experience Blog. The topic for the April teleclass focused on 3 actions that we need to take before we start thinking of managing our money.
As a Finance professional, my intention was to give the reader and the listener enough tips, tools and strategies to help them find a solution to their pressing money issues as well as help going forward.
This is my 3rd post in the Financial Literacy Trilogy (I just HAD to use this word; you know what I mean) where I’m sharing one of the tips from my teleclass. It is important to anyone who wants to make decisions about their spending that are aligned with their goals and needs.
A new conscious approach to spending
This mindset tool will hold you at your authentic self and keep those money eating impulse spending gremlins at bay. Besides, it is easy to implement.
Always remember, if you are finding it difficult to implement this exercise, defer spending for a day or two and then try again
Step 1: Choose the top 2 financial goals for the year, whether they are in your personal or professional life. Don’t spend too much time on this; let your intuition guide you. Choose 2 that immediately come to mind and write them down.
Consider any money that you spend to be an investment.
An investment has 3 core qualities.
- You expect a Return on Investment (ROI)
- It is clear HOW this ROI will happen
- You have a date by which you want to start seeing this ROI happen
Step 2: When you are tempted to spend money, ask yourself these 2 Money Coaching Questions:
- Is this an investment or fulfilling an important need or am I just spending money?
- Is this investment in alignment with my financial goals and values?
Yes to investment and Yes to goals and values means you are making an investment decision from a conscious frame of mind
Try this exercise for size. You’ll notice the shift in your money spending and more money savings for the things you really need and even want!
Round up: money and finance actions!
I wanted to say ‘round up the posse’ but then, decided otherwise in case Google sent horse owners to me looking for tips on horses.
Jokes apart, this post is a roundup of all the posts I have written on Money and Finance and worthy of bookmarking in case you need to refer to it again.
You can click on the image or on the title of the post and a new window will open to the content.
A new conscious approach to spending (that’s this post)
Want to know how to create pots of money? (that’s where I shared how to start allocating money using a jars approach)
Money matters: Are you really on top of your finance game? (dare to try the self-assessment and learn if your money management practices are up to the mark?)
Top Secret: Your Little Habits create Big Savings
3 ways for steering runaway money horses back to stable -big ticket items
Money Management and Lifestyle Maintenance
Final Words:
This is just the tip of the iceberg on information and knowledge about money and finance. The posts were written with the intention of helping the reader make informed decisions and guidance to enable them to understand the areas where they do have control over their money.
If you want to really want to raise the energy of money in your life, then Money Success Secret: The Alchemy of Mindset and Magic is for you. Learn more here.
Which post was your favorite?
Tell me which tip you really liked or how you benefited in the comments box below
Please do share this post.
You never know who needs to read this information from within your circle.
Posts
I adhere to the Certified Coaches Alliance Code of Ethics and Standards. A copy is available on request.
Email:
Vatsala, this is such good information…I think courses like this should be part of college classes, people need this sort of guidance today. Many people do not live within their means and it ends up costing them dearly. Great trilogy Vatsala, great information
Thank you Lisa for your generous words. I appreciate you! The entire series was inspired last year when I was talking to younger professionals who were finding it difficult to maintain their lifestyle on their pay packets and that led to the teleclass on Unleashing the Energy of Money and the 3 posts on Lifestyle and Money Management. The trilogy built on it as well as the recent teleclass on Money Management pre-requisites. I think I’ll keep the teleclass recording accessible for other visitors who come to my blog. God Bless.
This is great! What a wonderful resource of information. I love your writing. I want to read every post. I am definitely going to keep this on hand and take it in chunks.
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you for the compliment for the post, Latrelle. Being of service and providing useful information – Mission Accomplished! Taking the information in chunks is the best way to retain the tips and to select those that apply to your situation and financial goals. All the best.
I’m a little bit like Roslyn, in that I have never been overly structured and yet the “Universe” has somehow always provided for me. The more I focused on money and planning, I realized that “money” is one of my doubles in this lifetime, so i worked to clear whatever lessons I was meant to learn and to replace that with trust and belief that I have always been guided. Although I am not “rich” by rich people’s standards, I feel very blessed to be where I am today in regards to both my health and my money, which are somehow interwoven in my life. As I have been planting a lot of seeds in the last year with my newest health and wellness venture and building a team, I find that if I focus on ROI, I get stressed and fall out of trusting the process I’m in. It is such a delicate balance, as the world is rapidly changing and the way things used to be when it comes to security and money, really no longer apply. We are in bold unexplored territory, so I keep trusting and seeing how I’ve been guided all along. Thanks for your wonderful series Vatsala! Money is a topic that everyone has top of mind it seems.
I feel you are ‘rich’ in a much broader sense of the word, Beverley. True abundance cannot be measured in nickels, dimes and dollars but the quality of our life and the loving relationships that help us thrive even under the direst of circumstances. The Universe does indeed provide for us when we need it the most. We simply have to ask the Divine for help. Questioning ROI is essential if we are inclined towards shiny objects and it is a step back to analyze our spending or as I like to call it investment decision. If your intuition is communicating the right direction for your venture, then faith and trust that you will be successful is all that is required. And of course, the right actions. 😉
Thanks, Vatsala. I feel like I need to keep reading this post to get a little clearer on my financial goals. Thanks for such sane guidelines! xo, Reba
Always welcome, Reba. I’m delighted you’ve found the practical doable guidance useful. May you achieve all your financial goals!
I appreciated this trilogy because I never was very structured about money. Fortunately able to live within my means and prepare for the future. As I read all your comprehensive info I realized I had to have been lucky that things turned out ok without formal planning.
I saw many unemployed who were unprepared for long periods without a paycheck. Your trilogy was easy to digest.
You were indeed very lucky Roslyn, though I have a feeling that the mindset to spend within one’s means and save was there. I’ve seen something similar happen with unemployed people who were caught unawares during the 2008 financial crisis. While we can reach out to family for support on a one-off basis, that isn’t a long term solution. Putting aside a little, even if one has a variable income source helps to build buffers. I’m glad you liked the trilogy.
I too have enjoyed this series, as well as your teleclasses. I like the idea of training myself to ask those 2 questions before I spend money on anything. Thanks!
Thank you, Kimberly! I love doing the teleclasses and sharing knowledge and knowing that the listener has enjoyed it makes a world of difference. The 2 questions are very important if one wants to make a conscious dent in our inclination to spend on shiny objects or use money that is better spent elsewhere. We all have this challenge from time to time. 🙂
I’ve really enjoyed following your trilogy, Vatsala. You explain things so clearly and make reaching your financial goals seem easy. It’s hard to pick a favourite but this post’s tips especially hit home as I have spent money frivolously in the past and sometimes still do – in relation to Goddess gifts. I already had financial goals set for this year but I must get better at remembering to honour them when I’m tempted to send on some silly junk the grandkids are just as likely to break or lose. Great advice once again. Thank you.
I’m glad you liked the trilogy, Tamuria. Grandparents are meant to indulge grandchildren. Its the way the Universe allows them to enjoy little children knowing that the parents are responsible for the discipline stuff. 🙂 I have an idea. Why not put aside some money in an account or jar dedicated to the Goddesses? That way you can still work on your own financial goals without it making a dent in gifting to your granddaughters who are, to tell the truth, very cute.