10 Must-Do Steps for Financial Wellness in the New Year

Last year, my husband and I had to admit to ourselves that when it came to money, we were very unhealthy. In 2015 we took some major steps that got us back on track to financial health and wellness. They weren't all easy but after a year of positive change we're both SO incredibly happy with our progress. Are you looking to get "money healthy" this year? If so, here are the key things we did that made major improvements to our life.


1. Take a Deep Breath & Take That First Step.

The first step is always the hardest part but once we finally took it, the ball just started rolling. Our financial issues were so stressful that I didn't even want to acknowledge them. But ignoring them only increased our problems. Once we started having conversations, however, we began to see all the things we could do to make our situation better. It was incredible how much stress we eliminated just by having that first discussion.


2. Try to Remove Your Emotions From the Conversation.

If you're trying to solve your financial problems with another person, i.e. your spouse, sometimes the conversation can end up as a fight. But fighting about your finances will only set you back instead of move you forward. You may be tempted to play the "blame game" and you may disagree on ways to solve your problem. But if you can keep a level head, you will make so much more progress. So don't let your emotions hold you back!

3. Pray for Your Wants & Needs but Be Specific.

I used to pray in a very generalized, kind of vague way. "God help me with my finances." "God please let me make more money." But in the last few years I've learned to give God more specific requests. These days my prayers sound more like, "God provide me with the resources to pay off my student loans in 2 years." or "God please connect me with people who will help my business to grow." I asked God for some pretty specific things in 2015 and He gave them to me! So don't be afraid to take your Big Prayers to the Big Guy; He can handle them.

4. Put ALL of Your Income & Expenses Down on Paper.

We found that writing down our income vs. our expenses made the big, nebulous problem seem smaller and actually manageable. Here's what we did:

1. Write down how you much you make each month at your job, your side job and any other money that you bring in on a regular basis. Add it all up. (This is your income.)

2. Write down all, and I mean ALL, of the money that you spend in a month. Not just bills, but also groceries, gas, toiletries, dog food, pizza, clothes, bubble gum, everything. Add all of this up as well. (These are your expenses.)

3. Now, here's where the big picture will start to become clear. Compare your income to your expenses. Which number is bigger?

5. Let Go of Your Entitlement, What You Think You "Deserve" & Humble Yourself.
#FirstWorldProblems

My husband and I had to admit that we were neither Rich nor Famous, therefore our "Lifestyle" needed to become a bit more realistic. When we compared our income to our expenses, the number next to expenses was bigger. Which was bad because that meant we were spending more than we were making! We had to recognize that how we were living was a major part of our problem. So we swallowed our pride and decided we could live without some stuff we were used to having. And I'll just be honest; I didn't really want to give some things up. But I definitely wanted financial freedom a lot more than I wanted those things, so I got on board.

6. Trim the So-Called "Fat" Out of Your Life.

We asked ourselves, "What can we live without?" and then we got rid of those things. What each person or household decides to cut out might be different. For John Paul and I, we chose: No Cable TV, going out to eat only once a month, absolutely no impulse buying, cutting unnecessary "junk" out of our grocery shopping and the BIG ONE, saying NO sometimes to friends or family when they asked us to go out. Saying "no" at first was really hard and kind of embarrassing but everyone close to us knew what we were doing and totally understood.

7. Make a Plan & Set Some Goals.

This, believe it or not, was the fun part. Here is where we plotted out what we wanted and how we were going to get it. Both John Paul & I wrote out some things that we wanted and then had a discussion about how we could make it happen. This part was fun because it allowed us to dream and see the possibility of our dreams coming true. After a few brainstorming sessions, we walked away with actionable steps we could put in place right away and also down the road.

8. Keep Your Goals & Plans Visible; Literally Right In Front of Your Face.

It's a lot easier to focus on something when you can see it. Don't just create a document or spreadsheet and then close up your laptop. Instead, print it off and keep it somewhere you will see it often. Write down scripture and other words of encouragement and put them in visible places around the house to keep you inspired. (I spend a lot of time in the kitchen so I used our frig as a vision board.) Also, plug in goal "deadlines" on your calendar. This works as both incentive to reach the goal "on time" and also organizes your goals in the order that you'll tackle them.

9. Remind Yourself Constantly WHY This is So Important.

Your "why" might be different than ours but everyone's financial health is important for a number of reasons. So ask yourself why you want to be financially healthy. Is it for your family, so that you can live your dreams or build up security for retirement? Whatever your reasons, remind yourself of them often. Use them to fuel your motivation so that you don't burn out during this process.

10. Make Positive Behaviors Your "Normal" Way of Life.

During the first few days and weeks you should expect the changes you make will be a little difficult. But try really, really hard NOT to fall off the wagon. If you can make it through the beginning phase then you can make it to the end. Eventually these positive changes will stop feeling foreign and begin to feel normal and you'll feel really good about them - especially after you see all the progress you've made. So take the plunge, make the change and don't look back. Remember that you're changing because you're unhappy and what you'll get at the end of all this will be so much better and so, so worth it.

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SHARE your thoughts! Comment below and tell me...

What financial plans do you have for the new year?

Were any of the steps we took helpful to you?

How has changing your financial behaviors changed your life?

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