Most of us don’t just wake up and randomly see what happens that day.
Especially as a business owner (and especially if you have kids!) – the chances are you wake up with some kind of plan or intentions about the things you want to get done that day.
So WHY do so many people do it with their money?!
We’re talking today about giving each £ a purpose and using your money intentionally. So you can achieve the things you want in your life, like saving for the future or planning for some big dream!
But actually…what about the day to day stuff?
How do you know you’re spending the money on the right things?
Working with my lovely clients over the last 14 years, I’ve found that everybody spends their money on completely different things.
One of the first exercises we do together is a budget planner. Not because I want to suggest any sort of restrictions in what they spend (quite the opposite!) – but because I want them to be really clear about what they spend their money on now, to see whether that leaves enough to save towards their big dream.
Most importantly – does it allow them to spend their money on the things that are MOST important to them?
Academic James W. Frick once said “Don’t tell me what your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.”
And I love this quote, because it’s so true.
It’s the same for my clients…show me where you spend your money and I’ll tell you what’s important to you.
Using your money intentionally is about YOU spending your time and money on the things that really matter to YOU. Rather than floating along and letting your money goes where it goes, without any real plan (and then wondering why you never seem to have enough!).
Maybe you want to spend £80 a month on Sky TV because you love to watch movies as a family, or because you love watching tennis from the other side of the world at 3am.
But if you’re paying out for Sky TV and your kids are just watching cartoons – maybe you could get (or just stick with!) Netflix instead and spend that extra £75 a month on something else. A spa day; lunch with friends; putting it in a pot towards that pair of shoes or Chanel bag you never thought you’d be able to afford.
So this is NOT not about cutting back on what you spend.
You can give generously to charities; you can spend extravagantly on socialising or first class travel or blow dries; you can have meals delivered that have already been prepared, to save you time. There is NO right or wrong (and no judgement – of course!).
But the reality is that when you choose to spend money on these things, it gives you less to spend on other things, that may actually be more important.
So what’s REALLY most important to you?
To make your money really work, each £ needs to have a purpose – an intentional decision about what you’re spending it on.
The easiest way to do this is to set up separate bank accounts. And if you’ve been following me for a while or you’ve read my book – ‘Have Life Your Way’ – you’ll know that I advocate having at least two bank accounts, one for your bills and one for all your other stuff.
But for most people, they need more accounts than that, because they need an account to save for the big thing that they want to achieve too. Whether it’s a round-the-world trip, a college fund for the kids or a deposit for a dream home, the point is to keep that money separate, so you don’t dip into it or just see it absorbed into your weekly Sainsbury’s shop.
The thing is that as our businesses grow, we earn more money.
(At least that’s the theory – you make more sales, bring in more money and so pay yourself more. Which of course doesn’t always happen in reality, but that’s a blog for another day!)
But ultimately – if your business is making £100,000 a year in sales, that’s £1million over 10 years. Do you really want to look back and feel like you’ve got nothing to show for all that money?
- And if you added up how much money you’ve made in your business since you started…how much is that?
- If you went back further and added up all the money that you’ve earned in jobs since you left school…how much is that?
- And when you look around right now…have you really got all the things to show for it, that you thought you would have?
It’s rather like losing weight. And I know I use the heath analogy a lot, for improving your finances! But ultimately, you need to be able to monitor something. Because where your focus goes, your money grows.
So if your main purpose is saving a deposit for a new house, that’s what your focus needs to be. If it’s repaying your mortgage, then that’s what your focus needs to be.
But equally, if it’s about having a holiday or something fun or anything else that’s going to improve your quality of life, you need to make sure that you focus on it and actively put the money away.
Now the way that I do this – and the way I highly recommend you do too – is that I pay myself the same amount every single month, from my business. I then have automated standing orders going out 48 hours later, paying from my main bank account into all my different money pots.
Which means I can clearly see how much is left in my fun stuff account. I can see how much is in my holiday account when it’s another cold and blustery day, and I suddenly decide I fancy booking another sunshine holiday (because that’s just the way I roll!).
Ultimately, doing a budget planner doesn’t have to be restrictive in any way at all. It just enables you to make intentional, smart choices with your money – so you don’t look back in 10 years and wonder where that £1million you’ve generated in your business has gone.
And if you’d love some support with all your money stuff and everything we’ve talked about today…
It’s an effortless and enjoyable approach to managing your money and multiplying your wealth – to create rock solid financial foundations and live a fun-filled life, without ever needing to worry about the money.
It’s a bite-size 6 week program. So when you join now, you’ll be done before the end of this financial year…
So you can go full steam ahead into the next financial year, to make it your best one yet, knowing you’re (finally!) totally in control of your finances.
So what are you waiting for?!
Go check it out now and I’d love to welcome you inside!
Until next time,
Claire