ad // Money, money, money. Must be funny. In a rich man’s world. But even in a rich man’s world, debt and money problems can quickly arise and quickly get out of control. The New York Federal Reserve’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, states that Americans had $14.64 trillion in total household debt – in the first quarter of 2021 alone!
With the pandemic as well, money is seen as more precious than ever with even more people worldwide, suffering from the fallout that the pandemic brought with it. So if there’s ever a time to change some lifestyle choices and drop some bad habits that negatively impacting your debt and finances, it’s now.
Because every habit you build will have either a positive or negative effect. Every choice you make can play a part and it’s often these small (and seemingly innocent) habits that can have an impact. Some of the habits suggested in this post might seem so insignificant but once you start to incorporate them, you’ll notice the change in your finances!
So let’s look at 7 habits that can turn your money problems around:
Learn about money and become financially savvy
I personally don’t think we’re taught enough about money, finances, spending, mortgages and all that stuff at a younger age. I wasn’t – was you? So for a lot of people, it takes until we’re adults to realize that, “hey, maybe I should learn about this?” It’s not your fault but if that’s you – it’s probably time to get a bit more financially savvy.
By understanding money and finances, tax and debt and more, you’ll be much more equipped to deal with your finances more effectively and avoid getting into those sticky situations. debtconsolidation.com has more information that you might find helpful.
Track your incomings and outgoings
Tracking your money is SO important because sometimes we really don’t know where it’s going. We forget about things we’ve signed up for but no longer use or we simply don’t realize the amount of money were spending on things that we probably don’t need to. So get into the habit of tracking your spending. Use a planning system that works for you, too.
Curb the impulse buying
Impulse buying can tank your finances. It’s easy to do – we’ve all done it! And every once in a blue moon is okay but if you’re noticing that you’re impulse buying – even lower priced items – then that’s something you definitely need to kick to the curb to improve your financial situation!
Understand your emotions to spending
Okay hear me out. Money and emotions can go hand in hand. How many times have you bought a takeaway when you didn’t feel well or go shopping because you were sad?
We all have these small connections to things that comfort us and whilst I’m a huge advocate for self care and treating yourself, if it’s negatively impacting your finances and in turn, your mental health, then it’s something that needs to be addressed. Here is a handy list of 62 ways to treat yourself with a ton of free or low-cost suggestions!
Create a budget where possible
Budgeting where possible is a great way to avoid over-spending and damaging your finances. You can budget when doing your weekly shop or when booking a holiday as well as during seasonal holidays like Christmas. Give yourself a spending limit, shop around for deals and offers and guarantee yourself a stress free Christmas, holiday or whatever you’re budgeting for!
Check your credit score (and understand what affects it)
Credit scores are important for if you ever need a loan, want to take out a mortgage or many other things. And there are a ton of things that can affect our credit scores, including your payment history, how much you owe among many other things. So you’ll want to be on top of your credit score!
Always save
Easier said than done, I know. But saving even something as small as £1 is better than nothing at all. You can look for smaller ways to save, like cutting out takeaway or switching to cheaper items than usual during your weekly shop. By setting small and achievable saving goals, this will also keep you accountable and motivated to save.
What else do you have to add to this post? What small ways do you save money or which bad habits would you suggest dropping to help your finances? Let me know!
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I love staying in control of my finances. It just helps me feel so much better when I know how much money I have any have a budget for the month. It also motivate me to save money for our next home!
Corinne x
Yesss! Amazing 🙂
Love this! I’m pretty good at keeping an eye on my finances but I need to get better at monitoring exactly what is going in/out – as much so I can say yes to a few spontaneous purchases and know where I stand (sounds backwards, I know…) Thanks for sharing these great tips!
Hope this helps you even more than! I need to be more hyper aware on my outgoings too – sometimes I slack a bit!
These are really great tips, especially about impulse buying.
Thank you x
One thing I like to do every month is track my income and outgoings, it really does help me keep track of my money and limit my spending! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I’ve started doing that this year and it’s very eye opening!
Wonderful advice in a very concise form. You have really highlighted the most important things on money management. I like your jars…creative and inspiring at a glance! 🙂
Thank you Linda 🙂 Not my jars – just a stock image but they are great aren’t they!
Prior to July of this year, I was proud to say that my husband and I weren’t part of those numbers about debt. However, we did just buy a house, so that put us in there with all the rest haha. Now, we’re beginning to save up our emergency fund again, learn where our money is going, and get back to a good place with our finances. These are excellent tips!
Ah but you’ve managed to buy a house and that’s an AMAZING achievement!
Great advice! I try to adopt the one in, one out philosophy. If I want to make a purchase (particularly one that is reoccurring) I try to find something that I can do without. Helps me to maintain balance.
That’s a good idea – also helps with clutter too!
I always like to check my credit score just to see what I can work on. Also if I am skint and want to treat myself I look at what free books are on Kindle and treat myself that way instead.
I do think personal finances is something that should definitely be taught in schools etc
That’s a great idea. There are so many great things that are free or inexpensive to treat yourself too. Heck, LIBRARIES!
Super advice. I think that checking your credit score helps a lot as you can see where you need to focus your energy.
Absolutely! It at least gives you some good starting points!
I also treat my credit card as a debit card. If I don’t have the cash to put down right now, I won’t buy it 😀