If you’ve been on the internet over the past two years during these unprecedented times, you know that “self-care” has become one of those buzzworthy phrases, and you also know what self-care entails, right? You can check out the “5 Ways to Practice Free Self-Care” article, but bubble baths with wine, candles, unplugging from social media are just a few ways, but what about our financial self-care routines?
Taking care of ourselves financially is our way of showing we care about our financial future by making peace with our past money mistakes and learning to make better choices. Keep reading for 5 ways to practice financial self-care:
#1 Plan a Financial Date Night
Literally as I am typing this on the last day of the month, I look at my planner and I see my “Budget Date Night” for the next day. I always try my best to plan a date with myself where I sit and do my overall budget for the month, plan around my pay days, and reflect on the past month’s choices.
I never would have thought that I would ever enjoy my “Budget Date Nights”, but I look forward to seeing how my finances have transformed as I grow my confidence in personal finance! Plus, I really do treat these like dates too! This is usually in the evening, so I get my glass of wine ready, my laptop with my excel budget tracker (check out this free budget tracker), and some music! I have a good ole time budgeting and seeing how I can control my money.
#2 Invest in Yourself
Like my budget date nights, I take investing in myself very seriously. I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying “It Takes a Village…to Raise a Child”, but I would also argue that it “takes a village” to help guide us through life, as we shouldn’t feel like we have to or should navigate life on our own.
Just like you can invest in yourself/village by hiring a personal trainer for your physical goals, or going to therapy to work on childhood traumas, you can invest in a career or financial coach to take your finances to the next level. You can also read books on personal finance, invest in webinars/classes, watch YouTube/TikToks from successful personal finance professionals/influencers to learn for free! Not only are you investing in yourself, but this form of self-care will make you feel a special sense of fulfillment.
#3 Set Some Financial Goals
Now, as previously stated, I usually do my financial goals during my budget date nights, but making financial goals should be done whenever you have time. Most importantly, it’s about making sure those financial goals are SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic, and time-bound. Check out the article The Best Way to Set Your Money Goals for more details!
Also, don’t forget to categorize them – short-term, mid-term, and/or long-term. Categorizing your financial goals will automatically make them more realistic and time-bound because you can now take some action steps.
In addition, breaking your goals into bite-sized goals will let you see that the “only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time”. If my goal is to save $10,000 in a year, my goal is to make sure I save the monthly amount each paycheck that will help reach that main goal!
#4 Reflect on Your Relationship with Money
One thing that I vowed to get better at this year was journaling and meditation. Not to bring up my budget date night again (can’t you tell I love these dates so much lol), but I have a designated section in my monthly budget tracker to reflect on how the past month went when it comes to my spending.
Some months are great, some months…well, GrubHub took control over my debit card (haha), but regardless of how it goes, I make sure I am honest and vulnerable in my reflection.
Do you find yourself feeling guilty or ashamed around money and your financial situation? Give yourself grace and know that you can take the reins on this area and change your mindset. Trust me, if I can do it, so can you! It took me 34 years (and to hit my personal “rock bottom”) for me to face my finances and see how my relationship with money affected more areas of my life.
#5 Treat Yourself!
I decided to end with the most fun tip: Treat Yourself! What is the point of financial self-care when you can’t even enjoy the best life you can budget for? One of the reasons why I love this CGS community so much is that we can make sacrifices for our goals, but we can also budget in those splurges that make us come alive!
I know a lot of people choose to splurge on morning coffees, some splurge on beauty services, and some choose to splurge on travel. Is it Friday night, and the last thing you want to do after a long work-week is cook? Look at your budget and treat yourself to sushi or tacos! Did you just get a promotion at work? Dump that loser partner of yours? Treat yourself to a facial or quick mini-vacation! Just make sure it’s in your CGS budget, as life is too short to pay bills and then die.
Related: 8 Ways to Get Your Finances in Check
Getting your finances in order while on your self-love journey is how you take steps into reaching financial freedom!
What ways are you incorporating financial self-care into your life? What ways do you treat yourself within budget? Has your relationship with money caused you to over-indulge in other areas of your life? Let me know!
1 thought on “5 Ways to Practice Financial Self-Care”
I absolutely LOVE the idea of a financial date night! It makes the money managing experience fun and shows how much you value your finances!