Financial Literacy Month

MONEY MOTIVATED… WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT?

Becoming money motivated is basically exactly what it sounds like.  You have got to get yourself motivated to make money, and then keep yourself motivated to keep your money and practice frugal spending.  So in essence, money motivation is the attitude that you can make money and save money and achieve your financial goals!

DON’T BE A NEGATIVE NANCY

One of the first things you must decide upon when becoming financially motivated is to abandon all negative thoughts.  What I mean by this is, you must STOP telling yourself that you ‘aren’t a saver’, that you ‘have never had good spending habits’, or that you ‘don’t make enough money to save any money.’  Friends, I’ve heard it all, and I’m here to tell you that excuses will not help your situations improve.  We have got to get over our negative and toxic mantras and start telling ourselves that we can, and we will, achieve financial stability and achieve our monetary goals!  So first things first… get positive about hunkering down and making some difficult changes!  No, it won’t be easy, but it is not impossible and I can promise that you have overcome more difficult situations in your life.  So look at this as a good goal and challenge that you can take pride in overcoming.

SPECIFICITY IS KEY!

When determining exactly what you want to accomplish, it helps to get really specific with numbers and dates.  For instance, instead of just telling yourself, “I want to save more,” give yourself a number in mind to save towards.  If you only have a couple of hundred dollars in your savings account, vow to add a certain amount of money a month to your savings so it will add up to a specific amount within a time period that you define.  When you set a big goal, and then break it up into small, specific goals acquired over multiple smaller periods of time, it makes your end goal seem much more attainable.  So pick out a long term goal, and then figure out what you are going to do monthly, weekly, or daily to achieve that goal.  I promise it really does work!

BUDDY ON UP!

Friends that save together… STAY TOGETHER!  The buddy system is a great way to tackle your obstacles to becoming money motivated.  Having a friend who is setting similar financial goals, along with working towards saving more and spending less themselves, can really help you stay on track for your own personal financial goals.  Accountability is key when finical goal setting.  One helpful recommendation could be to write down your goals and what you are planning to do to achieve them.  Then once a week or periodically through the month, you sit down with your buddy and have to own up to whether you followed through on your steps to financial success.  Real friends will be very honest and hard on you to achieve your goals.  That’s how you know they care!

MAKES SOME MONEY MOVES

To save money you have got to earn money.  And if you are strapped for extra cash to put into a savings account, maybe finding a little extra source of income is the way to go!  Try cleaning out your closet and selling some of your clothes that you never wear anymore.  Or maybe start recycling your empty water bottles and soda cans and turning them in for a few cents apiece.  There are lots of ways you can make a few dollars here and there, and the important thing to remember is that even though you may not be making a whole lot of money, it does add up!  A little can go a long way!

I hope these additional finical tips help you as we continue to dive into Financial Literacy Month!  If you decide to try any of these tips and found them helpful or fun, or just have a story you would like to share, please let me know!  I’d love to hear from you!  Find me on Facebook .