I don't know who needs to hear this, but
It's ok to spend money on yourself.
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but in 2020 (pre-pandemic) I turned down an epic trip with family because I had set an arbitrary savings goal for that particular month that I was set on hitting.
I won’t lie, I instantly regretted it when I saw all of their pics from the trip posted on Facebook and realized that I’d never get to share in those invaluable memories and laughs that they had shared. The pang of longing I felt looking at those pictures made me do some serious soul searching, and I realized something…
I’d become so addicted to the process of budgeting, aggressively saving, and watching my net-worth grow, that I had forgotten why I’d started my journey towards financial freedom in the first place. I was literally turning down time to travel with my family and friends because I was so worried about breaking my budget and my net worth being stagnant for a month. Never mind the fact that I had more than enough money saved to not even have to worry about the expense. I had forgotten that my reason for starting my financial freedom journey was always to have more freedom and more time with the people I love. Something had to change.
Thus began my journey of overcoming my strict and obsessive budget mindset. Honestly, it was difficult at first, kind of like shifting out of a dieting mindset to being able to just eat until you feel full (also something I’ve struggled with for pretty much my entire life, and let me just say that the similarities between budget culture and diet culture are striking, but I digress).
My point is, it's really easy to get obsessed and go overboard on the journey to financial freedom. Give yourself permission to spend money on things you love. You won't regret it.
Thanks for being here,
Mariah
New Blog Post
7 Strategies to Overcoming Strict Budget Mentality
On the note of budget mentality, today's blog post focuses on strategies to overcome strict budget mentality.
In this blog I discuss:
→ aligning your spending with your values.
→ the benefit of spending money on quality items over the cheapest find.
→7 strategies I've implemented to overcome strict budget mentality.
Check it out here
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TRAVEL HACK
Calculate a good Hyatt rewards redemption. Plus my best and worst Hyatt Hotel redemptions!
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📍EASY MONEY WIN: Your Weekly 10 step (or less) Money Win.
5 Easy Steps to find a great Hyatt Hotel Redemption
Ever feel like you're drowning in the sea of travel reward options? Let me tell you, I've been there. For the longest time, the mere thought of travel hacking had me reaching for the easiest option: cash-back redemptions. Yeah, they seemed like the safe and easy bet—until I had my "Big mistake. Big. HUGE!" moment.
Turns out, the real treasure lies in transfer partners. But hold up, how do you separate the gems from the duds? Don't worry, my friend, I've got the lowdown right here. So grab your snorkel, we're taking another dive into the world of savvy travel rewards.
This week's Quick Money Win: 5 Easy Steps to find a great Hyatt Hotel Redemption
I used this exact strategy to find a great redemption: saving $700 PER NIGHT on my 2 nights at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa (normally $1000/night).
Read the full post here
I'm currently working on next week's Quick Money Win: How to calculate your Emergency Fund in 5 easy steps
It includes:
- step by step instructions to calculate exactly how much you need.
- tips on where to park your emergency fund.
- how to avoid over-saving
Keep an eye out for next week's newsletter!
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Bernie's Budget Tip
Understand different investment platforms
>Different investment platforms have different features: levels of control, app features, nd benefits.
Check out the full post comparing my 5 favorite investing platforms!
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Recent blogs:
- 6 Easy steps to score free nights at Hyatt Hotels
- Feelings of dread about work? The 8 steps I took to beat burnout as a physical therapist.
- My 6 Biggest Money Missteps and How You Can Avoid Them
