You open up your bank account. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
You receive a scary letter from your gas company. It reads if you don’t pay your bill in 30 days, we’ll shut off service. Your fight or flight response is triggered.
Do these stories sound all too familiar? You’re not alone.
You wonder, how did things ever get this bad. You beat yourself up and ponder when you’ll ever get out of this financial hole. Things aren’t stuck in the mud for you and your family. You can get moving once again. There are tactics we can do to better our money management.
Follow our 5 finance tips to get money flowing in a more positive direction again.
1. Know Thy Truth
What is the problem you’re facing with money? When you know the truth of your situation, we can move forward. When we don’t, we stay stuck and can’t grow.
It’s time to get real with yourself. Be as brutally honest with yourself as you can. See if you can list the problems of your current scenario. Don’t worry if you can’t see a way out right now. Don’t let that stop you from at least acknowledging what is occurring.
We need to change our relationship with money. If money were someone in your life, what would you like to say to them? We encourage you to try this journaling exercise and see what money has to say.
2. Face Your Fears
When you have some semblance of your current financial dilemma, we now have an idea of where to head next. We need to actually see what is happening.
Write down everything you owe, even if it hurts to do so. Don’t let the big numbers and red lettering scare you if you are behind. Just keep going. Don’t let your finances take control over you. Remember that you are the one in charge here, not the numbers in your bank account.
3. You Need a Budget
Budgeting is an essential step to get you back on track financially. Think of budgeting as assigning a home to every item. This may take some discipline at first, but once you’re in the swing of things, you’re golden.
Your finances may be out of order because you are failing to give each piece a home. When we feel overwhelmed, we tend to procrastinate. Now more than ever, people are needing a budget to survive.
We need to face things we are uncomfortable with. When we face what we are uncomfortable with, we learn that it wasn’t so bad in the first place. Creating a budget through discipline feels good and is very healthy to do so.
4. Cook at Home
Cooking at home is one of the simplest ways to improve your money situation. You can stretch the dollar but enjoying meals at home.
Spend your hard-earned dollars on groceries rather than take-out. You’ll not only enjoy the food you eat, but your pockets will thank you for it. It’s easy to develop poor eating habits by indulging in the ease of take-out. These days with delivery apps, it’s far too easy to become lazy and unmotivated. Let’s not make this mistake anymore.
5. Swallow Your Pride
All of us have been there at one stage of our life or another. Don’t be afraid to swallow your pride and ask for help. Financial stress is by far the worst type of anxiety. If you can’t even tread water financially, it is perfectly okay to ask for assistance.
This can come in the form of a family member or even the government. Don’t feel like you are alone in your situation. There is always a way out and a light at the end of the tunnel.
For some more money inspiration, here are some quotes to motivate you.
Buy the Dip With Our Finance Tips
When you follow our finance tips, you will be well on your way. Remember that you are in control of your financial freedom. Take responsibility for your actions and always seek to improve little by little each day. Read our blog to deepen your money knowledge. Let’s do this!
Rene Bennett is a graduate of New Jersey, where he played volleyball and annoyed a lot of professors. Now as Zobuz’s Editor, he enjoys writing about delicious BBQ, outrageous style trends and all things Buzz worthy.
