Financially Free Series: Create a Spending Plan

by Chelsea Brashears on August 1st, 2013 | No Comments »

Okay moms, I realize that finances are probably the last thing on your mind during the summer months, but I am here to share with you five easy steps to help you find financial peace of mind so that you can live a happy life! We are all in search of the easy solution to find "happiness”, but what is it that makes you happy? What are your values in life? And how do you find YOUR personal balance for those values? During the next five weeks, we will be figuring that all out.

Getting rid of the stress that causes the unhappiness is the easiest solution to reach your personal balance, right? So, what is the main cause of a person's stress? I think it all comes down to finances. Think about it, if you had lots and lots of money you could hire a maid, a chief, a chauffeur, a personal assistant, a therapist, etc. I’m not saying that money buys happiness, but making smart decisions about where it goes can sure help. Shoot, after this series you might even be able to afford a couple of those luxuries!

In more than half of my clients' households the women manage the finances. (But this might be because we are doing most of the spending… ;))
When I bring up creating a “budget plan” 9 out of 10 clients will cringe with fear. So, I have taken a different approach to make a little more sense to the common person. Instead of “budgeting” let's just learn how to spend smarter. To reach financial peace of mind you will need to live by 5 Steps and in order.

To avoid overwhelming you we will discuss one step each week. This will give you time to work on each step and ask me any questions you might have. If you happen to start the series late, feel free to ask me any questions regarding previous steps. Before we get started, know that I would never suggest doing anything that I didn't do myself and that I didn’t know for a fact works!

Create a Spending Plan

This is part 1 of a 5 part series. For this post, we will be talking about step 1, becoming financially organized.

Become Financially Organized

Before we look at where to save you money we need to look at where your money goes. Most people deal with several financial institutions (mortgage, insurance, bank accounts, savings, investments, car loans, installment loans west allis wi, student loans, even the best personal loans for bad credit just to name a few) and this leaves them confused about where their money is going, when, and how much. Becoming organized will alleviate that confusion and start reducing the stress. You can read this post about bad credit loans for the same day by Sunny if you’re in need of some extra cash immediately.

What I use to get my clients organized is a state of the art, password-protected, personal website called The Living Balance Sheet. Think Mint times 100! And it is completely free. You can log in anywhere you have internet and it also has a downloadable phone app. The greatest part of this system is that there are tools to help us see how different financial choices will affect your total net worth.

To get organized, start by gathering all your Financial Institution Information Here and your Quick Facts Here in these spreadsheets I have created, or if you are interested in setting up your Living Balance Sheet, start by clicking the picture below and enter your name and email address and I will personally walk you through the rest (either by email, phone, or face to face).

That should be an easy step, so get started and come back next week for Step 2 (the most important step of all 5)!

What steps are you taking to have financial peace of mind.

My name is Chelsea and my heels are parked in Katy, Texas. My life is far from normal! I am a mommy to a witty three year old boy (with another on the way); the smaller half to an eccentric oil field hubby; a full-time financial planner; the Networking Director of both WOAMTEC's Katy Chapter and Women, Wealth, & Wine; a devoted Christian; and so much more! I believe everything happens for a reason and that you should live every day like it is your last!

I am a passionate Financial Protection Specialist and I believe in a protection-first philosophy. Clients benefit by working with me because of my genuine desire to educate and to truly make a difference in their financial future.

Visit me at Teddy Bears And High Heels or email me at [email protected].

Schedule your complementary consultation today (consultations can be held face to face or over the phone if outside of Houston/Katy)