Stress is a part of life. The older we get, the more stress we take on. From work to kids and everything in between, there are times when it feels like we can get no relief. Financial stress in particular is a huge issue for many of us. Mortgages, cars and college funds, not to mention retirement savings, dominate our thoughts and weigh us down on a daily basis.
You’re never going to alleviate all of the stress in your life; however, there are a couple of easy things you can do to help reduce your financial burdens.
Treat Your Household Like a Business
Your household, regardless of how big or small it may be or how much money you make or have to your name, is a business. Everything you purchase and every financial decision you make should be thought out and recorded within an agreed upon budget. That’s right, everything, no matter how big or small, should be accounted for.
Where we get into financial difficulty is when we’re lazy or nonchalant with our purchases. It’s very easy to grab an item off the shelf or via Apple Pay. Our ability to buy what we want, when we want has gotten significantly easier in the digital age. What hasn’t changed is the use of common sense judgment when it comes to your buying power.
Create a 1, 3 and 5 year budget and stick within the confines of what you or your household has agreed upon. Any changes to what was agreed to should be reviewed and discussed. Without a plan on how you’re going to manage your money, you can expect to have limited success.
Zero plan coupled with terrible financial decisions will lead to an unsuccessful household business and, eventually, financial ruin.
Do You, Not Them
You often hear people say, “do you.” This is a colloquial way of saying, “be yourself, don’t worry about what others are doing.” This is a novel concept that sounds easy, but becomes much more difficult when you’re released into the wilds of society.
I’ve always envied the people who have absolutely no regard for what others may think about them. They’ll go off and blaze their own trail, regardless of how it may look to anyone else. This subset of people are either confident in what they’re doing or oblivious to the fact that their current course is against the grain. Either way, they’re free to make a choice and see it through, blocking out any outside noise.
This is not the norm. Most of us are followers. We want to be accepted, loved and embraced within the constructs that society has built for us. Get a new car, get a big house, wear designer clothes. All of these are “rules” put in place by society to define success.
False.
Success is defined by freedom of movement and your ability to do what you want, when you want. Having a pile of expenses that you’re tied to each month will only keep you shackled to your current situation. Worse, there are tens of thousands of Americans who are currently overextended and will actually need to make more money in order to dig themselves out of the financial hole they’re in. This is no way to live.
Giving in to societal demands on what you should or shouldn’t do with your money is childish, limiting and adds to the stress in our life. If you’re always worried about keeping up with others you’ll never focus on the things that are important to you. You’re not living your life, you’re living the life you think you’re supposed to be based on TV ads and Tik Tok videos.
Reduce your stress by rising above the noise.
Be brave. Do you.
You’ll be surprised at who you might find.
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