How do you think about money?

Sometimes I like to discuss the role money has played in a client's life.  When they were growing up how did they view it, experience it?  How did their parents manage it?  Was there secrecy around it?  A sense of never having enough?  Did your parents ever have problems related to money?

The reason these types of discussions are valuable is because the answers are filled with reasons as to why you may be challenged with managing money or paying bills or never feeling like you have enough or feeling like you're entitled to spend as much as you want.

Relating back to your business or self-employment, if you are not sure of yourself and feel like managing money is overwhelming, it will be a challenge to take charge of both your business finances and personal finances.  Some spending habits may begin to creep in as you make money in your business but don't really know where all the money is going.

Business and money go together and learning how to do simple things that help you account for your income and manage your spending will lead you to feeling better about the process and increase your confidence in the fact that you can manage your money.

Today's another day to save!

Each day we spend money without thinking about it.  A coffee, a pastry.  Lunch arrives and we go out with friends, lunch out again.  Then there's dinner and instead of cooking we choose to go out and yet another expenditure that we hadn't necessarily planned for is created...and it's probably not one that can be written off as a business expense...right?  This is not new news but these are expenses that over a month's time can add up to a significant amount of money.

Suggestion:  for just one month, keep track of all meals, snacks, waters, coffees and any treats that you buy during the day.  Many of us use our credit card or debit cards to pay for such things so it's easy to keep track by just going on-line to add these up.  Once you do this for a month and arrive at a total - divide it by the number of days of that month and you'll see how much per day you are spending that you could converted into savings! 

When you are able to determine how much you spend on food (whether it's grocery shopping or outside purchasing) then you can figure out what your real cash needs are for food per month and budget that amount for yourself.  Some people just take out the cash, put it away and draw from it when they need to buy groceries.  If you start to make your own lunch, you will be amazed how much of your "food fund" is left at the end of the month.

Just try it some time and see what you discover.  Remember what you're spending could be what you could be saving for your future and your financial security. - another step towards reducing anxiety and building confidence in your ability to manage your money.

Money changes people?

It's been said that money changes people - I'm not too sure. I guess it's because I believe that people are who they are and as each new circumstance enters their life new choices are available, they see new things and who they are appears, only in a different light.

Because I am focused on helping people manage their money on a day-to-day basis, I am always looking to find new ways to do this. New ways to ease their confusion and anxiety. When working with self-employed individuals I find that my optimism over simple things that can be done to make a difference, helps them build hope that they can be in a better financial position...and they can. It just takes the awareness you are in trouble and need help; the willingness to ask for help and the important step...the ability to take action on your own behalf.