How to Relax about Money

Welcome to Day 26 of my Healthy Living 30 Day Challenge, created to support my Yoganudge Facebook group

If you’re a member of my Facebook group, I hope you downloaded my self-study tutorial 21 Days of Yoga (which is free for my FB group members) and have started a regular yoga practice in the comfort of your own home.

And now, for today’s Healthy Living Tip…

Being relaxed about money makes for a healthier, happier you. Here's how to relax about money:

1. Track Your Spending

Keeping track of how much you spend on certain items can lead to a better, less stress-filled life. Cutting back on purchases you may not need is a great way to save money and experience less stress.

2. Create an Emergency Fund

Knowing you have money in savings allows you to be calm when an emergency strikes. That means you don’t have to waste energy or time worrying about where you’ll get the money to pay for a new tire or fix that busted pipe.

3. Check Your Credit Score

Many people don’t check their credit score very often. You can monitor the health of your credit score and get a free credit report from Credit Karma.

4. Pay off a Small Debt

When you’re deep in debt and trying to get out, it can feel like you’re not making any progress. To avoid this trap, focus on paying down small debts first. This will boost your motivation, making you more determined to pay off bigger loans.

5. Take a Financial Class

Get savvy about your money with free financial classes from You Need a Budget. Each workshop is designed to last just 20 minutes so you can attend one during a lunch break or while you’re commuting on train.

6. Downsize your life

Many people are choosing to downsize their lives these days to lower their monthly expenses and also to have greater peace of mind because they have fewer possessions to take care of and keep track of. If you're having trouble paying your bills each month, think about downsizing to lower your expenses. If you rent your home, consider moving to a smaller place with lower rent (right now you might not believe you could live in a smaller space, but you could). If you own your home, think about selling it so you can move to a smaller place. Also, does your family really need 2 (or even 3) vehicles? Maybe you could sell one of them. Once you start thinking about downsizing, you'll realize there are all sorts of things you can let go of without sacrificing your quality of life. In fact, you'll have a better quality of life because you will be able to relax about money.

7. Be Less Wasteful, especially with food and clothing 

Most people spend more money than they need to each month on food and clothing. In fact, much of the clothing goes unworn. And many of the groceries either sit in the pantry (canned goods, for example) or are thrown away because they weren't eaten before they went bad (don't believe me? Check the vegetable bin in your refirgerator. I'll bet a lot of stuff is rotting away in there). Make a point of shopping for only what you will eat each week. 

8. Sell Things You No Longer Use or Don't Need

If you need some quick cash, think about selling some of the things in your closets, attic, basement, and garage that you don't use or no longer need. You'll probably be surprised at how much cash you can make this way. The added benefit is you'll also declutter your living space.


9. Offer a Service You Can Charge For

Another way to earn some quick cash is to offer a service that you can charge for. This could be something as simple as babysitting, pet sitting, or housesitting, or it could involve some specialized service you could provide such as virtual assistance to small businesses (if you have the skills for this) or even starting a side business as a Social Media Manager for businesses. You could also organize garage sales for people in your town and charge for that service. Make a list of things you're good at, and things you like to do, to see if you come up with anything that might be a good way to earn extra cash each month.

10.Shop at the Dollar Store

 If you don't regularly shop at a dollar store you might be surprised at the amount of money you could save if you did.

My favorite is Dollar Tree because every item in the store is just $1.00 or less (greeting cards are 50 cents, for example), while many so called dollar stores charge more than $1.00 for many items. 

Start following these tips and soon you’ll be more relaxed about money as you start living a healthier, wealthier, happier life.

Namaste,

P.S. If you missed the start of this challenge, learn more about it here.

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