Use the S.Y.S.T.E.M.
Many of us at some point in time have found ourselves having more month at the end of our money. So, what do you do to avoid the end or middle of the month money "blues"?
There must be a S.Y.S.T.E.M. You must:
S.harpen
Y.our
S.kills
T.o
E.valuate
M.oney
It is so easy to say: "Oh I'll do that tomorrow." NO, today you have to take the time and effort to educate yourself about how to manage your finances. If you went to college, you made a conscious effort to decide on a major in hope of having a career in a desired field.
Don't do anything less when it comes to your finances. You can be highly intelligent and an expert in a chosen field, yet be financially illiterate. Years ago, I was asked by a good friend why I wasn't investing in the stock market. I didn't have an answer except I didn't know much about the stock market or its historical performance. However, I didn't stay ignorant. I began to read articles in the local newspaper's business sections each Sunday. I also subscribed to Money Magazine, Black Enterprise, and Smart Money. I wanted a diverse perspective of investing and saving for the future. Subsequently, I started slowly to invest in the market and increased my investments as my knowledge and comfort level grew.
Another way to sharpen our skills to evaluate money is to do a monthly budget. If you don't tell your money where to go each month before it is in your hands, when it has gotten up and gone, you will be left wondering where it went.
Years ago when I worked as a Hospital Pharmacist, I was paid bi-weekly. Oh, there were weeks when I overspent and assured myself I would put it back in savings the next two weeks when I was paid. Unfortunately, most times the money was not put into saving. Ten months later, I changed position and my pay changed to once a month. Talking about a wake up call! This made me get "real" about a budget and telling my money where to go. I knew there were 30 days before there would be anymore funds in the account. This was hard to adjust to. Yet, in retrospect, this was the best thing to happen to me as it made me become intentional about saving and investing.
So what are you waiting for to get started? TODAY is the day. Get started on securing your future NOW!