217 – August 5
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”—Benjamin Franklin
Many people struggle with budgeting. They know how much they spend on rent or mortgage, how much the car payment is, and the amounts of other fixed expenses. But there are so many other monthly expenses that are variable! How much do you spend on food? Dining out? Parking meters? Books? Movies? Magazines? Coffees? Munchies?
What’s the grand total of all the ATM cash and where does it go?
If you can relate to this problem, I suggest you start counting your money. I mean count all of it, from the fifty cents you pay for gum to the dollar for the lottery ticket, the quarter in the parking meter to the dime you pick up off the street. Carry around a small notebook specifically for this purpose and record every time you use money in every transaction, large and small. Only then will you know exactly where your money has gone. Knowledge is power. When you know what you’re doing, you have the power to change it. Knowing that you’re going to have to record spending $3.95 on a double cappuccino latte may not stop you on the first day, but may make you think about it on the third day! You may just start to become aware of how much of your money slides out of your grasp on trinkets and incidentals. $3.95 a day for 365 days is $1,441.75.
I have nothing against buying a nice cup of coffee. You just have to be aware of and have budgeted for it.
Determine your priority spending, make choices about how to spend “spree money,” and then don’t whine and complain that you don’t have enough money to take a vacation, put a down payment on a house or a car, or anything else you feel you can’t afford. You have choices about your money flow, but first you have to know what you’re doing with it now.
People avoid this exercise in droves. They’d rather stay unconscious about what they are doing with their money. They’re afraid that if they count their money, they will have to face the reality that they are spending more than they make and will have to stop spending on things that give them pleasure. This is people’s resistance to budgeting in a nutshell: They think it will doom them to only paying bills with nothing left over for fun.
This isn’t true. Budgeting enables you to have fun in proportion to your priorities. Which do you want more—the cappuccino now or the beach vacation later? With balance and perspective, you’ll soon see that you can stick to a budget and still have it all (just not all at once).
Start counting your money today. Is it going where you want it to go? Is there enough to go around? If not, how can you make more or spend less? Adjust the mix until you’re happy with it. Then get creative and find other ways to get what you want.
Today’s Affirmation:
“I adjust my money mix for maximum abundance!”
THE SECRET TO COMBATING MONEY ANXIETY – Part II
Helaine Z. Harris, MA, MFT
Are you, or anyone you know, struggling with feelings of overwhelm and anxiety because of money? It’s a safe bet the answer is, “Yes!” Normally I say finances and abundance issues are connected to self-esteem but right now there is such a major economic shift going on and for many people money stress is connected to having difficulty with the changing financial structure. People are feeling out-of-control and fearful.
DISCOVER AND HEAL YOUR MONEY ANXIETY ISSUES
- Write down your specific money anxiety issues now.
Bad choices or investments and you lost money
You lost your job
You didn’t save enough money when you had it coming in, etc. - What feelings and emotions come up from these issues?
I feel stupid about money
I can’t forgive myself for . . . . .
I lost all that money on. . . . . . and feel terrible now. - What main abundance goals do you want to experience differently?
I want $1,000, $15,000 or whatever it is for you, in my savings account.
I want to feel comfortable financially so I can do what I want without thinking about money.
I want to create . . . . product(s) in my business and bring in $_____ a month.
Imagine your next goal, not the biggest one you want, but the next goal in 3 months. - Then use Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), emotional acupuncture, hypnosis , and EMDR, to quickly release these negative beliefs and emotions. The EFT sheets can be found under Free Stuff on my website.
- Using the LOA, visualize your future self coming through this time period better than you were going into it. Feel the energy and emotions as you do this.
Imagine the new skills you’re developing.
See yourself totally successful looking back on this time period.
Enjoy the feelings of empowerment and success from your internal shift,
Consider what your next most important step is that leads toward the future
success that is yours.
Feel how excited you are to take that step and you’ll be on your way to
achieving it.
Once you can imagine it with all the energy and emotions, you can achieve it.
So give up the struggle now. Say yes to your current experience, tune into your inner wisdom and your brain will switch into success and abundance mode! If these methods are not successful on your own, then contact a good psychotherapist or coach to assist you.
© Helaine Z. Harris, 2009
Helaine Z. Harris, MA, MFT, empowers heart-centered spiritualpreneurs to transform their business and the world. Because of what is happening with the economy and her clients, she is focusing on how to activate prosperity with heart energy. She is also is a psychotherapist, intuitive healer, business coach and founder of An Awakening Center™, which blends over 40 traditional and alternative psychotherapies. She has 30 years experience and is the author of Are You In Love with a Vampire? Healing the Relationship Drain Game. She specializes in empowerment, career creativity, anxiety/depression, trauma, and relationship. Contact her at www.hzharris.com
