Everybody talks about personal self-care.
Moving your body regularly.
Creating a morning routine.
Setting solid boundaries.
Attending Sunday brunches (I mean, this is totally self-care!)
But I barely hear about financial self-care.
You know…the habits and rituals that allow us to reach our financial goals and create our desired financial reality.
In this blog post, I dive into 13 ways to practice financial self-care in your life.
1. Set empowering and fun money goals
Since you’re here right now reading a blog post on financial self-care on a blog called Life Goals, then I’m going to make the wild assumption that you’ve set financial goals before.
Setting short-term, mid-term, and long-term financial goals is a crucial part of your financial journey.
Having these in place helps you create a practical plan to achieve them, hold yourself accountable, track your progress, and stay motivated through the process.
Moreover, your financial goals serve as a blueprint for creating your desired financial reality.
The key to making your financial goals fun and empowering is to determine the why behind them.
Why is this goal important to you? What will become possible when you achieve this goal? And why is THAT important to you?
Journal on this. Really feel into the purpose of your goals. Check-in on your goals regularly to make sure they’re still empowering.
If they don’t, you have full permission to throw them away and create new ones! After all, what’s the point of goals if they’re not empowering?
2. Give gratitude
Being grateful for what you currently have in your life connects you with abundance.
The essence of an abundance mindset is focusing your attention and energy on all that you already have instead of focusing on what you don’t have or lack.
The same concept applies to money.
If you desire more financial abundance in your life, practice giving gratitude for it every time it comes in AND out of your bank account.
When your paycheck hits your bank account…
When a new client invests in your services…
When someone buys your product…
When you pay your bills…
When you treat yourself…
When you buy a gift for a loved one…
Take a second to reflect on what that money has allowed for and provided for and say “thank you.”
3. Cultivate a deeper relationship with money
While other factors, like how your parents viewed money and culture, influence your feelings, beliefs, attitude, and perception of money, you ultimately control the narrative.
YOU have the power to choose how you relate, engage, and connect with money. To reconcile your relationship with money.
How’s your relationship with money currently? Is it supportive and empowering? Or stressful and avoidant? If the latter, what are you ready to let go of so that you can move on more powerfully?
A deeper relationship with money can take some time to develop, especially if you’ve experienced financial trauma or have deep-rooted limiting beliefs around money. Be patient and compassionate with yourself and take it step-by-step.
4. Create a solid money management system
I find so much joy and pleasure in having radical financial awareness.
I believe it’s one of the essential elements of successfully managing your personal finances.
One of the core elements of radical financial awareness is clarity around how you manage your money.
A solid money management system allows you to:
- Have more control of your finances and know exactly how and where to redirect your money.
- Track your progress towards your money goals.
- Plan for upcoming expenses like trips, moves, and other big investments.
I highly recommend managing your money in a way that feels good and in alignment with you!
For example, some of my clients enjoy logging their income and expenses in a bullet journal and getting all creative with its design. While I, on the other hand, prefer a well-structured and streamlined spreadsheet.
Keep in mind that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to budgeting. It may take some time to find a system that works for you, so the key here is to pivot and try different methods instead of giving up!
5. Organize your bank accounts
Instead of just having one checking account and one savings account, organize your finances into several accounts.
I have two personal checking accounts: one for my bills and one for my everyday spending.
This helps me ensure I have what I need to pay my bills and see how much I can spend on my “wants.”
I also have one savings account with Ally, which allows me to divide my savings into separate categories without needing multiple savings accounts.
You can create up to 10 different savings buckets within the same account and dedicate each one to a specific goal like a yearly trip, an opportunity fund (aka emergency fund except we plan for opportunities, not emergencies!), or a big move across the country.
Keeping your money in separate bank accounts can offer you peace of mind and organization when it comes to your finances.
NOTE: Having multiple bank accounts can come with bank fees. You can reduce or eliminate bank fees by setting up direct deposit or banking with an online bank. Some of my favorite online banks are Ally, Discover, and Charles Schwab.
6. Automate your savings
One of the best things you can do for your financial health is build your savings and invest in your future.
To do this, you need to make sure that you’re managing your money, paying yourself first, and transferring money into your investment accounts regularly.
Establishing healthy money habits like these can feel overwhelming and challenging to navigate at first. This can lead to inaction, procrastination, or just straight-up giving up on our financial goals.
Setting up automatic transfers to your savings and investment accounts can help you effortlessly build your wealth and reach your goals.
Additionally, automating your finances can help you control your spending, pay off debt, and remove the stress of keeping up with due dates.
Don’t know how much to save or invest? This is where a solid money management system (aka “budget”) comes in.
7. Read a good money mindset or financial literacy book
If you’re someone who loves reading and immersing yourself in a good book, this one is especially for you!
An excellent money mindset book can offer you a new perspective on money and wealth, while a financial literacy book can give you the free education you need to create a solid financial foundation.
Two of my all-time favorites are I Will Teach You To Be Rich and Happy Pocket Full of Money.
8. Look at your bank accounts regularly
Checking your bank account regularly offers you clarity and helps you be more in control of your finances.
This may sound like an easy way to practice financial self-care, but it could be the most challenging and scariest thing to do if you’re feeling avoidant about your finances.
If this is you, I encourage you to start small by carving out 10-20 minutes every week to check in on your spending. If doing this weekly is too much, maybe start biweekly or monthly.
Add this time to your calendar to remind yourself to check-in.
The goal here is not to pressure yourself to master your money management but to ease your way into financial awareness.
9. Invest
The best way to multiply your currency to reach financial independence and not have to trade your time for money forever is investing.
Whether you choose to invest in stocks, cryptocurrency, or real estate, begin by learning the basics! Then, continue to expand on that knowledge through hands-on experience.
Having a basic understanding of how investing works will offer you more confidence and peace of mind at the start of your investing journey.
I’m also a huge proponent for asking questions and seeking guidance from others who are either professionals or people you trust and know have had success in this area.
10. Pay yourself first
Paying yourself first is sending money to your savings and investments when you get paid BEFORE all the other mandatory or discretionary expenses kick in.
I see many people make the mistake of “seeing how much is left” after bills and other expenses are paid to determine how much to save or invest. But if saving and investing is your goal, then this is not the most supportive way to reach it.
Instead of making paying yourself first a non-negotiable, you’re leaving it up to chance.
When we let external circumstances dictate whether we save or not, we’ll find that our savings goals become a lot more challenging to reach.
YOU are your most significant investment so treat yourself like it by paying yourself first.
Pro tip: Start with paying yourself 5-10% of your income and work your way up from there!
11. Celebrate the financial abundance in your life
When money shows up in your life, do you take a moment to celebrate it?
Celebrating the financial abundance that comes into your life and bank account helps train your brain to look out for more of it!
The more we celebrate the things that we want to achieve, the more receptive we become to them.
It’s important to keep in mind that financial abundance doesn’t always look like a paycheck. It can also look like this:
- Receiving a discount
- Unexpected refunds
- Receiving gifts
- Landing paid opportunities like brand partnerships
- Affiliate sales and commission
- Getting a raise
- Bonuses
And so on. No matter how it shows up, it’s worthy of celebration.
I invite you to celebrate in whatever way feels good for you next time you receive money!
12. Have regular money dates
Every Friday, I like to put on some sexy music, light incense, or a candle and get intimate with my finances. This is one of my absolute favorite weekly rituals!
A money date is a time that you set aside to check in with your finances.
Some activities that you can do during your next money date are:
- Create a money management system (aka budget) for the month or week.
- Update your expense and income tracker.
- Transfer money to your savings and/or investing accounts.
- Make a gratitude list, listing everything that money has allowed for and provided for this month or week.
- Journal on how you can strengthen your relationship with money.
- Create a list of ways that you can call in more money this month.
The vibe and flow of your money date are entirely up to you. Just get creative and have fun with it!
13. Listen to a high-vibe money manifestation playlist
Music is such a potent tool that amplifies emotions within us.
Listening to high-vibrational money manifestation music can bring feelings of abundance, gratitude, empowerment, and confidence into your body.
Plus, it’s just straight-up FUN.
I created this Spotify playlist (sorry, Apple users!) for you to vibe to whenever you desire!
This can also be a great way to set the vibe for your next money date ;)
Money Management Is Self-Care
Having solid money habits and rituals is one of the pillars of financial wealth.
It’s not always about the #biggains or quantum leaps (although we love these too), but about creating sustainable habits that will effortlessly fuel your wealth and deepen your relationship with money.
Take it step by step, day by day, and watch the results of your habits compound into MAGIC.
Be sure to try one of these practices for yourself and DM me on Instagram to let me know it goes!
