Taking care of financial clarity

Become your own daily money manager. Once your finances are on paper, they take on a life of their own, but you are in charge of that life.

by Lucinda Lintz — 

Splurging can have its consequences, as most of us have probably experienced from time to time. Accepting the splurge can be the key to unleashing the power to change spending behaviors. Accept, forgive and move on — consciously. Splurging with our eyes wide open allows room to make changes in behavior the next time the urge to splurge hits us.

Conscious decision-making, for adults who keep their own counsel, can lead to bigger and better results. The outcome is that we get what we truly want or need, not just what we thought we wanted or couldn’t live without.

Ways we can be more money conscious are:

• Learn to take a breath, get centered and choose to walk away, without feeling deprived.
• Write down your wants or desires, and keep a list. If you were meant to have them, they will be yours.
• Make a game of what you want. One strategy is to spend the money on paper before you actually buy something.
• Create a generously balanced spending plan to see where you want your money to go before it is gone. This is a great tool for covering your bases, maintaining control and giving thoughtful consideration to where and when your money leaves your bank account.

The best part about planning is that it allows you to pay yourself first and reap the rippled benefits for months and years to come.

Desiring to change can produce great rewards, but you must also act. Become your own daily money manager. Once your finances are on paper, they take on a life of their own, but you are in charge of that life. Why not start now?

Lucinda Lintz operates Abundance in Business as a business manager, bookkeeper and consultant for individuals, small businesses and the media. 602-997-7970 or [email protected].

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 24, Number 5, October/November 2005.