Every day you get up, you greet the day, and probably go to work to earn some money...
And, you might do this for yourself, your children, or your family... But, maintaining your quality of life or, increasing your quality of life, usually boils down to the level of control you have for, amongst other things, money. Money is the reality of how well you can provide for yourself, your family, and your lifestyle.
But you might ask yourself why is budgeting so hard and why can't I get ahead?
Potentially, it could be a poor spending cycle, which keeps you financially stressed, creating a feeling of being overwhelmed in the "simple task" of just keeping your head above water. Whilst a sinking feeling clouds your vision and clarity for what options you have. It becomes a struggle just to admit it... And, you don’t know how to get out, but wish you knew how.
I have been surviving since my Dad put up the "rent" at home so much so, that I HAD to move out! In fact, I could no longer live there as the rent was too high. It was TOO expensive...... I was in my early 20's, but that is not the point! Now, 30 years on, I distinctly remember him saying "If you can find somewhere else to live, as cheap as this, tell us, and we will all come and live there"... That followed the lecture of how you MUST pay your bills ON TIME. He also insisted on the Direct Debit method (straight out of my bank account) as he did not trust my "I'll give you the cash later" approach (how rude!).
Since that day, I had to think hard, and I had to think fast... He was NOT joking about the rent going up and I knew I didn't have the money... I wouldn't have been able to go out with my friends and put petrol in my car as well..... Not to mention the car loan!!! Very quickly I shifted into "survival mode" (and it was very swiftly from the "cruising along nicely with my Mum doing my washing and cooking for me" mode)...
I needed extra income! So... I got a job in a pub serving bar meals on a Saturday lunchtime. I worked behind a bar of a very "fabulous" nightclub three nights a week. I also sold Avon "door to door" and signed up to various catalogues so that my friends could order new clothes and stuff, and I would get the commission... I was ALWAYS thinking on my feet! I had to survive, right? Working hard, consuming all my time, but was I getting ahead???
So does this story of myself sound familiar? Does it sound like you? Working hard, working all the time, but feeling like you never get ahead?
It is a very common feeling amongst everyone these days, so you are not alone... But, what is the trick to surviving and getting ahead...
Well, as youngsters we were never taught how to budget. You probably didn't even learn how to budget in school. In fact, most likely you were told in school, study hard, work hard, and you will be successful. However, that is not always true.
What is actually true is "It's not about your Income... It's about the Outcome!"
What this means is understanding how to use your dollar more effectively will open up a stress-free world for yourself. And, you will stop living week to week.
Let me explain...
As a Spending Planner Specialist, I help singles, single parents, and families to better utilise their income and it is not about how much they earn.
Consider this, at Spending Made Easy, we have had clients earning over $200,000 per year, and people who earn less than $25,000 per year. In both situations, poor budgeting, which was not taught in schools, left them in a situation of living week to week...
That means the $25,000 person was spending over $25,000 per year whilst the $200,000 client was spending more than $200,000 per year... So earning more money, the income, was not going to solve the situation...
In fact, with Spending Made Easy's help, we were able to create a Spending Plan that enabled the person earning $25,000 per year to stop living week to week and they saved up for a holiday. How good is that... And you can too...
So it's not about your Income... It's about the Outcome!"
And if you are stressed, living week to week then you need a Spending Plan too. Reach out, and schedule a time with one of our Spending Planner Specialists so you can start reducing your stress and gain back your financial freedom.
