1.
Begin with a budget: you must always have a budget regardless of how much money you have. If you are blind to where your money is going you will never be financially healthy.
2.
Be aware of your credit score. Know your investments and more importantly, your debts.
3.
Buy fewer things more intentionally. Focus on quality, versatility, and usefulness, instead of instant gratification.
4.
Think of your spending in terms of goals and make your day-to-day decisions based on the long term. What’s more important to you? Your Starbucks everyday, or a flight to Europe in nine months?
5.
Don’t feel ashamed to make indulgences and splurges a part of your financial life, but treat them as the rare, exciting thing they are. They are no longer considered treats if it’s a weekly occurrence.
6.
Learn how to be less reliant on others for certain services. Teach yourself how to cook, how to change a tire or fix a leaky faucet, even how to make things for yourself when possible. Invest in your skill sets as much as your bank accounts.
7.
Always have a side hustle, an emergency fund, and a Plan B. This can be personal training after business hours, selling your knitting, or tutoring.
8.
Figure out where you want to be in six months, two years, and ten years. Come up with your multi-year financial plan and decide what you can do today to make it happen.
9.
Remember that happiness is a byproduct of freedom. Some say money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy you pretty things and independence. Establish goals and work towards the latter.
10.
Just like eating a slice of cake doesn’t ruin a diet, spending too much one weekend doesn’t ruin a financial diet. Guilt isn’t productive, but getting up and doing better tomorrow is.