Any financially chic tips you suggest we live by?
Never be in the dark about your money
Don't just hand over control to anyone else and say: "He/She will take care of it, and I will never, ever have to worry about the money again."
It's your money, and no one else has a more vested interest in what you spend, save and invest in. Don't be one of those women who wakes up one day after a nasty job loss, divorce, separation, death, or all the bad things that do happen in life and says: "I don't even know where to begin."
No one has a better interest in your money than yourself, and I don't find it an acceptable excuse to say: "Oh but my ______ always took care of it for me."
I don't care who it is: father, brother, husband, sister, mother, financial advisor, dog, cat, friend... you better understand and know what they're doing with YOUR money.
That sort of helpless woe-is-me princess routine doesn't really hold any substance when you are faced with the prospect of having to eat cat food to survive, and working until you die instead of enjoying your golden years.
Stop talking about doing it, and just do it
Don't keep moaning about how you need to take care of your finances sometime. What better time is there than now?
The real key is just to start..Start saving. Start knowing. Start reading your statements instead of chucking them under the sofa. Stop shopping impulsively.
All it takes is baby steps, and there's NO PRESSURE or need to whip your finances into shape in a day much less a week or a month.
It took me about 6 months before i finally got the hang of basic budgeting and expense tracking.
It isn't as simple as we make it out to be, but once you learn it and it becomes a natural part of your life, it's not that hard anymore, and you will wonder why it took you so long to even start.
Slow, steady and consistent always wins the race.
Enjoy the process
You might find that you will even enjoy tracking your expenses and watching your money grow. I sure as heck never thought I'd say that when I first started, but I really embraced the whole money management world and am now REALLY into it.
Of course, you may never enjoy the process. But you will understand that as a responsible adult, this is what you have to do to make sure that your future is financially secure, not reliant on a lottery ticket or a person or inheritance to come along and save you.
Throughout it all, just enjoy the process of getting to know YOUR money better. I mean, it's your cash, you should be allowed to do what you want with it, so why not enjoy it responsibly?
There's no reason why you shouldn't own designer items or buy anything your heart desires, but it should all be done if you can afford to do it without jeopardizing your future.
Heck, I spend money on things I don't REALLY need all the time! But I am doing it responsibly.
Can't get enough of Fabulously Broke's advice?
Check out her other two blogs...
http://www.everydayminimalist.com/ -- The Everyday Minimalist
http://www.stylestring.com/ -- Style on a String
