Lovecraft Rising

Financial Freedom Account Status: $310.01

Hello, friends. I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I know I just started this blog, and I had great hopes for posting often. However, I had a major mental health episode lately, and my recovery had to come first. Don’t worry–I’m doing okay. I have a lot of support. 

Money Tracking

Now for the fun money stuff! 

My goal for the next year is to eliminate my personal debt. To that end, I have a monthly goal of earning at least $3000. 

I made $2785 in November. That’s less than my goal of $3000, but not bad, considering the circumstances. 

I am tracking my money in and money out. (Mostly. Sometimes I forget. Luckily there are statements and whatnot that help me remember.)

I also track my daily earned money, because it feels good to know what I earned in a given day, even if I don’t get paid for a while. 

(I also track my adherence to Rachel Rodger’s seven money habits, but that’s a post for another day.)

As you can see, I use a simple notebook system. Pen and paper! 

What Gets Measured Gets Managed

Why track my money daily like this? Because what gets measured gets managed. What gets attention gets improved. 

For example, if you track your weight every day, you’re more likely to take action to change that number (if that’s what you desire). If you track calories, you’re more likely to stick to a calorie count. And if you track your money ins and outs, you’re more likely to meet your money goals. 

Want to manage your money? Start paying it more attention. You can use pen & paper like I do, a simple Excel spreadsheet, or try one of the many money tracking apps out there. Experiment until you find a method that works for you. 

Money is like Friendship

I don’t always do the best job of paying attention to my money. In some ways, money is still scary to me. I don’t like checking my bank accounts. I don’t like looking at my credit card balances. But what gets measured gets managed. I force myself to look at my money.

I must pay attention to my money in order for it to grow. It’s like a friendship. If you want to be friends with someone, you spend time with them, right? If you don’t spend time together, you’re probably not friends. Or at least not good ones. 

I want to be good friends with money. Therefore, I spend time with it.

My Challenge to You

Do you struggle to look at your money? Is it scary, like it is for me? (Maybe I’m just a weirdo, but I don’t think so. At least not about money!)

Here’s my challenge to you: Look at your bank balance daily. That’s it. You don’t have to change anything, move money around, nothing. 

Just look at the balance. Less than one minute, and you’re done. 

What is the point of this? By looking at your bank balance, you’re exposing yourself to your fear. Over time, it will get less scary. It’s like anything else that’s scary at first–you get familiar with it, and it becomes less scary. 

You’re also spending time with your money. You’re starting to become friends. Bit by bit, you’ll get more comfortable together. 

And I’ll do this too. I just looked at my bank balance. Phew! I’m glad that’s over.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.