In society today, we are constantly on the go. Our lives live in the palm of our hands on a cellphone. Constantly, looking at social media, posting that new photo of our day out, shopping online, and disconnected from any true relationship. Never stopping to take a breath, or to think about the choices we are making. To stop living paycheck to paycheck, you need to go back to the beginning and cut out the junk.
Getting back to the basics can be a challenge because let's be real change is hard and you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach that says "you are missing out!" By making small changes over 3-months, 6-months, or 1-year you will start to feel a difference in your livelihood; like a weight has been lifted and you can finally step forward with ease. Follow these steps to get your life back on track.
Create & Stick To A Budget Every Month - Having the knowledge of what you earn and your expenses each month will put you in control of managing your money well. This gives you the ability to set savings goals, decrease expenses, and pay off debt. If you are living paycheck to paycheck you are more than likely overspending. Evaluate your budget and be honest about your expenses and how necessary they are in your life. Remember that you have control over each expense choice you make.
Cut Down On The Take-Out - I'm 1000% guilty of eating out way too much and if it wasn't for my husband I would probably do take-out 7-days a week. Over the course of a year, I evaluated how much money I spent on take-out. It was over $7,000! I wish I was kidding. This kind of expense is something you do not notice daily, weekly, or even monthly, but if you add up all those charges for an entire year it is like a slap to the face. Cooking at home can be tideious, so be inventive. Get a cook book for various countries you want to visit or meal prep once a week. For me, meal prepping is my go to as it lets me spend time 1-day a week focusing on cooking and leaves me free time the rest of the week to not worry about food.
Disconnect From Your Cellphone - When you scroll through social media over multiple hours in day it makes you question your life choices, how successful you are, and worst of all makes you jealous of the people you love and care about. Getting off of social media is a dream, but unfortunately, I need to be on it for work. Be sure you set aside time each day where you disconnect from your phone/computer and be present with the people you love. This will help you not feel like you are missing out and do impulse shopping, buying or spending money you do not have.
Find Comfort In Doing Nothing - The days that I sit out on the balcony with a book and my thoughts or have an engaging conversation with people I care about are my favorite types of days. Doing nothing is not bad. It allows you to reflect, be creative, and get lost. This in turn allows you to reconnect to your passions, people, and the things that matter in your life. Don't be afriad of doing nothing sometimes as it can be the best thing to re-energize you to new levels.
Delete Online Shopping Apps - Amazon, Baltic Born, and Under Armour are few of my favorite places to online shop. Delete those APPs on your phone now. Take a look over a 3-month period how much spend doing online shopping. It will surprise you and make you sick all at the same time.
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