Cynthia M. Martínez
Creator of My Barely Famous Life and Founder Lead Up Labs
We’ve all been there. That moment when you think your accounts are up to date and you’re going to start saving. Then, unexpectedly, things start to happen that prevent that big event of starting to have a financial future from happening. What if I told you that this way of managing your money is wrong? Saving is not something we should postpone until we are financially stable. We must turn it into a lifestyle in which you save weekly from something as minimal as $5, which makes you achieve an estimated figure of $240 at the end of the year. The figure mentioned has a margin of error, since we know that it is possible that some weeks you fail to deposit. You should invest in your savings account and make a serious commitment, even if it’s just $1.
We must start looking at our relationship with money in a different way. An example that happens frequently is when we say that we are shopaholics; we must say that we are save-aholics (addicted to saving). Self-imposed restrictions are real and are the most common obstacle encountered when I am hired to work on behavior modification with leaders with financial problems. It all starts with the way you talk about your personal finances, which gives way to negative thinking.
Nowadays, society has changed to such a degree that buying in stores within shopping centers is even a luxury, since being able to buy what you want right away and not having to wait for the mail to arrive at your home is considered a “premium” lifestyle, that is, much more expensive. Today, online shopping has not only become a convenience, but a way to make wiser financial decisions about where you invest your money. An important thing about having so much access to virtual stores is that you have to make it work for you. You can join online rebate programs and that would be a great way to have an additional source of income.
A great tip that helped me improve my personal finance habits was to put basic expenses on automatic. That made me do without those “little luxuries” and start saving. You must postpone immediate satisfaction and think long term. Visiting your expenses weekly is convenient, as it helps you see where your money is going.
Additionally, it helps you be aware of the ways in which money works for you without investing absurd amounts of it. It is very necessary when doing the weekly exercise to verify that you are using the correct card when purchasing, since many cards are specialized in saving you money on certain things. Choose wisely. Also, I emphasize again that you ALWAYS consider that purchase carefully before hitting the check-out button.
A healthy lifestyle is having self-love, which is taking care of your financial, mental, spiritual, physical and emotional health. You should always save, but you shouldn’t rule out all the fun either. It can be as simple as treating yourself to ice cream and taking out even $5 for something out of budget but that makes you happy. Maybe your first response is “there’s nothing for $5 anymore.” I have bought very nice blouses for $5. It requires creating your own opportunities with an optimistic mind, but with realistic actions to be willing to see possibility where others see obstacles. Living in financial health is a lifestyle that will give us financial freedom to design a life you love.
About the Author:
Cynthia M. Martinez is a rebel with a cause, entrepreneur, and life and business strategist with a specialty in leadership and innovation. As part of her extensive trajectory as a strategist, she has been developing leaders in the field of direct sales, market opening, and consulting at the corporate and SME levels for more than a decade. She is the creator of the social media movement in a blog format called “My barely famous life” in which she equips followers with leadership and technology tools through her educational program. She is also the founder of Lead Up Labs, a digital platform that has all the tangible and digital tools for participants to increase their productivity and achieve their goals.
