By Initially when I sat down and thought about what my goals would be for each month, I had a different topic in mind for the month of March. However, with life events and certain things coming into play, I decided to switch it- change it- rearrange it ( Why yes, I am humming an old cheer leading chant in my head as I type that). This month I’m choosing to focus on finances: Mastering Money March. Money is one of those subjects, that I feel like I am constantly thinking about, I feel like it’s always a topic of conversation in my home. Recently, my husband and I were talking about finances so much that I banned him from talking about it for a week because it was causing undue anxiety for both of us. Yes, I know, adulting at it’s finest.
I know most of us when we think of money and finances, probably want to stop thinking about money and finances, and my plan to stop talking about it for a week was probably not the most adult decision I have ever made, but sometimes you need to just take a step back and breathe. Overall I think my family does a good job in investing and saving, but somehow in each month despite best efforts, there seems to be more month than money. So this month I’m focusing on taking back control of our finances. And I have a couple of ways I plan to do this.
First, I ‘m going to re-read a couple of finance books, which I have previously read, loved and found valuable. First, Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, it has probably been about 5 years since I read that book, and it’s probably about time to reread that. If you haven’t read it I highly recommend it as well as Unshakeable by Tony Robins. Both of these are no-nonsense, straightforward, and also easy to understand and apply.
Second, I have decided to work with a CPA and get our taxes done. I’ve used Turbo Tax for years, but after struggling getting through last years taxes, and all the changes in our finances, I’m bringing in an expert.
Third, work on a budget. And I mean a realistic budget. You know what I mean….. ‘This month we’re not eating out!’ and then Friday comes and you’re exhausted and takeout sounds like the best idea you have ever heard, or ‘no more Amazon’ these just aren’t realistic; so i’m going to sit down and actually try to figure out where our money is going, and work on spending it on things we actually need and use. My hope is that understanding our spending habits, I can help our family control our finances, and not be controlled by them.
