Do you wander? Do you ever go exploring? I mean seriously?
Do you ever engage your heart with wild crazy adventures?
Yesterday I did.
I was meeting a client a couple hours out of town and on the way home, I decided to go exploring. So, I will often just drive down random roads and see where they lead.
I found a town I had never been in before.
And it was like driving into a country song (I was listening to Strawberry Wine as I rolled into town). It had a general store and a saloon.
It was like this special treasure that I discovered and I like to pretend I’m the only person in the world that knows this place exists.
I’m weird that way. I also love going off alone. It’s kinda my thing because then anything I discover can be mine, all mine {insert evil laugh}.
So weird, yes, I know. (This photo is of some things I’ve discovered on my wandering, including yesterday’s saloon!)
I value wandering.
Wandering, Dancing, Laughing are all things that I value (and I need to do more of!)
We all know the best things in life are free, but then there are the things we value financially, or the things we put our mouth too….. wait that sounded dirty – well, it was meant to sound like… PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS! 😉 (Ya, if you are like me I know where your head went!)
And, I think this is a place where most of us live OUT of ALIGNMENT. (Alignment is the place where you are in harmony with your life’s purpose and goals.)
So, let me tell you how I know this. If you were to do a simple review of your expenses and categorize them from what you spend the most money on to what you spend the least money on (after housing – because you probably value a roof over your head), you’ll probably find that you spend the most money on material things, usually a car is the next biggest expense for lots of people.
Chances are that you value your mental & physical health, and your financial health above material possessions, yet most people don’t have enough money at the end of the month to save or to buy the extra healthy veggies or buy the gym pass. Not that I’m saying you need to have any of that, I’m just saying that if you really do value mental, physical, emotional, financial health, you’ll be putting the majority of your money where your values are.
Most people will spend more on a car than they will save for their financial health.
Most people will not buy gym equipment, sports equipment, gym pass for their physical health.
Most people will spend more on decor for their house than they do for emotional or mental health.
Maybe you spend all your money on organic food because you value your body!
I’M DEFINITELY NOT SAYING ANY OF THIS IS BAD or GOOD for that matter!
In fact, let’s be real. No one cares what you spend your money on.
But chances are you are miserable financially if you are not spending money on the things you really value.
For example, if you really do say you value saving money (like a trip or retirement or a new handbag), and then you sabotage yourself, and spend it all, then, ya, you aren’t in alignment, and you will feel MISERABLE and YUCKY!
So, yes, this is a problem we need to address. We need to get you back into FINANCIAL ALIGNMENT! (I could be your financial chiropractor!)
So for you gorgeous person, here are my percentages of what I spend money on because I’m not going to sit here and preach to you and not tell you where I spend my money. So out came my monthly expense sheet for you. Let’s see where this takes me!
- 21% Properties (& Some Savings, RRSP’s, TFSA, RESP’s etc.)
- 18% All Insurances (Car, Business, Life, Critical Illness, Disability, Property)
- 13% Admin (God, I’d be LOST without my admin help!)
- 10% Office (Rent & Utilities)
- 9% Houseworker/Nanny (Clean House, Meals Cooked, Laundry Done & Kids Watched!)
- 9% Groceries
- 8% Car (Gas and car stuff)
- 5% Technology (Cell Phone, Computers, Websites, Software, Anything Tech)
- 4% Life/Business Coaching & Programs
- 3% Business Licences (Remember all those letters behind my name, they cost money!)
So, let’s see what LISA values:
I value a clean house (like CLEAN!) and NOT having to cook dinner as much as I do eating or spending money on food/groceries!
I value life & business coaching enough to spend more on it than my actual business licenses, and if anything, I would up that category over time until it was about 20-25% of my expenses. YES, you read that right – INVESTING IN YOURSELF is the best thing you can do to GROW and I value that and I do put my money where my mouth is. Already as it is, I spend way more than most people do on self-development and coaching.
The other area I’d increase is money spent on my staff. As I make more, the more they are going to make! I want to pay them the best – like better than any oil and gas company! I want the people who help me build my company to say that they are working their dream job on a dream team! So, yes, I will increase that 13% to 20-30% or more! Same goes for my housework! I value you that more than I currently spend. It’s so nice to come home to dinner on the table and laundry done.
And, well you can clearly see that I value insurance. I have adequate life, critical illness, and disability. Mostly because I sell the stuff, but also because I believe in it, and I see the benefits it brings families! If you have ever seen anyone suffer a sudden death in the family or get diagnosed with a critical illness, then you know that the last thing you want to worry about or have your family worry about is money. Not to mention, I’m building a LEGACY! Yes, some of my insurance is set aside to build one amazing legacy for my children, and grandchildren! You can tell I value you that.
Also, I rarely spend money on myself! Honestly, I spend maybe $200 or less per month on hair, clothes, massages, facials. In other words, I maybe go for one or 2 services a month. So little that it barely makes the list. I also buy myself at least 2 books per month – I’d buy more, but then I would never read them! Those are my splurges! (And I do buy Piano Lessons & Sport for kiddos too – but not like crazy amounts!)
I haven’t added in travel, which I do, mostly on points or I stay for FREE at the hotels of Mom & Dad (luckily they choose to own homes in great places and not in Saskatchewan! Thank you Mom & Dad!)
Obviously, being self-employed and having over 21 sources of income, my income VARIES greatly, so these numbers do vary, but based on my monthly expenses, I’d say pretty accurate.
Hey! Challenge for you! Why not do this exercise and see what you value most? See if it’s in alignment with your purpose, your goals!
It will be interesting to see if you discover anything about yourself. Are you in alignment with what you really value?
I value help and building a legacy & building my business, which is where I spend the majority of my money.
What do you value? Does it feel right to you? Or are you spending money in an area that doesn’t feel good?
xo
