How to Have a Better Relationship with Money
How to Have a Better Relationship with Money
By Becky Mollenkamp, PCC
Looking to improve your relationship with money? There are many important actions you can take, but here’s one important piece of advice: Start treating money better.
Stop avoiding it, hating it, resenting it, wasting it, or otherwise being a jerk to money. This exercise starts with what you already have.
[Another good read: 10 Books to help improve your relationship with money]
1. Show gratitude: Be aware of, and thankful for, all the wealth you already have. Take a moment right now to look around you and say a heartfelt “thanks” for everything money has given you. I’m confident your list will be quite lengthy.
Focusing less on lack and more on abundance is key to shifting your money mindset.
2. Know your numbers: Do you know how much money you make? How much you spend and on what? Do you have a financial plan? Honoring your money means being a responsible steward of your money by having and using a budget, paying bills on time, saving and spending wisely, and otherwise caring for your cash.
3. Spend smart: Audit your spending for a month—and I mean every penny you use. Where are you being wasteful? When are you engaging in mindless spending? How could you automate, eliminate, streamline, or otherwise better utilize your money?
A healthy money mindset is about respecting and appreciating money, not coveting or misusing it.
4. Act like a CEO: As a business owner, the best way you can respect and appreciate your money is to get serious about it. That means having a separate business account, paying yourself a salary, setting aside money for taxes, earning a profit, and saving for retirement. If all of that feels overwhelming, I highly recommend the “Profit First” method.
5. Charge more: Stop undervaluing your products or services—and stop resenting people for paying you too little when you don’t ask them to pay more. Treating money well means asking for as much of it as you think is right for what you sell. Anything less says you don’t value money—or yourself.
