A 5 Step Plan to Unlocking Your Secret Talent for Managing and Ultimately Saving More Money

June means we’re at the halfway mark for the year. What projects have you completed this year? Were you able to even make a list of goals you’d like to achieve? If not, it’s a great idea to start now. Create a list of goals you’d like to achieve in the next coming months or if you already have a list, revisit it.

This goals list isn’t just about your career goals either; it could include your health, education goals, and more. How many of your goals require funding? If you’re pressed for money, you’re like most people these days, but what if you had the money? What if you didn’t need to make more, but you just needed to better manage it? It’s possible that you’re wasting money on things you don’t need right now and if you make some changes you might have what you need to go after other goals on your list.

Everyone has the ability to do this, but most people don’t. You get a pay check and before you know it, it’s all gone. Where does the money go? You thought you had $50 left on your account and now it’s saying $10, how did this happen? Is the bank sneakily taking money or are you just spending without noticing?

If you want to complete your goals list you’re going to need some money. You may just need to make it by working extra, but at the rate you’re going you’ll just spend it because you aren’t focused on what you really need and want. That’s why you need goals; goals fueled by your personal values and backed up by commitment. You’re a financial wizard; a master of money in disguise, but you’re wasting your talent by not tapping into your latent abilities.

It’s time we changed that. I want you to achieve your goal list this next quarter so here is my 5 step plan for managing money and ultimately saving more of it:

Create a picture of your current spending

Get some old paper or open a document, now start writing all the areas where you spend money and how much you typically spend. Start with the essentials, no not the shoes or avocado smoothies, but the bills. List all your bills and your rent. Next, list your grocery and food bill. You need a visual of how much you typically spend.

Zero in on spending

Outside of bills and rent, where is the bulk of your money going? You might realize that you spend quite a bit on groceries, entertainment, clothing, and other activities. How much of that food in your fridge gets wasted? Do you need to hit the bar weekly and spend that much? Do you actually need to buy that size coffee daily? Is it possible that you’re buying too many clothes or spending too much on entertainment? Get real about how much you’re spending on what. It might be a good idea to stop buying from a certain store or pay attention to the cost of foods on your grocery list.

Make some cuts

Let’s say your goals list includes taking our NPI-Certified Posture Specialistprogram, you need to budget a certain amount of money every month. Start with an amount; let’s say you’re going to save $100. Now, it’s time to make the cuts. You already know how much you spend and on what, so it’s time to get really real about your goals and future. This course could put you in a better financial position as a result of taking it as you’ll attract new clients. This is the hardest step of all, but you have to say bon voyage to things that aren’t truly serving a purpose. This might mean cutting down on your snack budget, even though you didn’t realize you had a snack budget until I mentioned it.

Don’t touch the money you put aside

Once you know the financial landscape, you have an idea of the sources that cause moths to live in your pockets, and you’ve made those hard-to-make cuts, you now have some money freed up. I want you to take that money, save it, and don’t touch it. If you don’t trust yourself, ask someone you trust to keep you accountable every month. You can also set up a separate bank account and allocate a certain amount of your pay check to it monthly. Remember, you could save an extra $10 by cutting that expensive coffee daily. You could be saving $30 a week. In a few months you would accumulate some cash to put toward the course or a trip you’d been putting off for years, but only if you don’t touch it.

Resist temptation to sabotage by planning

You’re probably hanging your head wondering how you could live without the things you gave up. You don’t have to give them up forever; you’re just changing the frequency to which you spend money on them. That Frappuccino you gave up that’s saving you some money could be your weekend treat instead of a daily indulgence. Make a plan, stick to it, but don’t deprive yourself completely. Instead of going to the bar every weekend or buying new stuff, buy new stuff once a month and set a limit. You can also hit your entertainment outlet every two weeks instead of weekly. Stay committed and it’ll happen.

Now that you know the tricks to the trade, here’s the NPI-Certified Posture Specialist™ program I mentioned. See you in a few months!

Here’s the link >>