Money Matters for Millennials: Keeping Your Peace

I’ve received some requests to share financial advice from my perspective and honestly I’m extremely flattered that you all want to hear from me! I have decided that on Wednesdays I’ll be sharing financial gems that I have learned while adulting in my thirties! In short I’ll be discussing the big ‘MMM’ – Money Matters for Millennials 🙂 Disclaimer: I am in NO WAY claiming to know everything about finances (I’m still trying to find the way myself). Also, you don’t have to be millennial to take advice from this post. The fact is that all of us have to deal with financial matters at some point in our lives, so why not help each other? What I hope to do is share my failures and wins so that someone, somewhere can avoid repeating the same mistakes that I have made.

The first topic that I want to share is all about Keeping Your Peace when it comes to money matters. One of my favorite quotes is: “If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive.” This phrase couldn’t be more correct!  The quote hits close to home for me and I totally agree with it. Adulting is crazy but the good part about it is that in your thirties it is way easier to manage your finances than in your twenties!

One rule that I like to stick with is that if I know that purchasing an item will cause me to worry constantly then I definitely don’t buy it. Most of you know that I LOVE to shop – especially for clothes. The honest fact of the matter is that I can’t buy every outfit that I like whenever I want. If I’m searching for something new, I ask myself, ‘Can I live without it?’ It sounds insane but doing this totally helps! I’ve saved so much money just by asking myself this one question.

Pick your gigs. I stick to a budget so that I can splurge later or save my coins for my next big trip. But sticking to a budget definitely means that I have to choose how I spend my gas money. I’m invited to events on a constant basis but the truth is that I can’t go to EVERY SINGLE one. I used to try to make every party, happy hour, and soft store opening. You name it, I was there. I remember feeling so bad saying no to people when I would get invited to go out. The reason I would feel horrible is that in my twenties I was desperate for a real social life – now in my thirties I actually have one. I’ve slowly learned that its okay to say no. Going to every party every day once left me pennyless at month end – and that’s a much more HORRIBLE feeling than skipping out on a few events during the month.

Remember that setting goals sometimes means that you have to make sacrifices. Always think of the bigger picture.