Hello world & welcome to mind over money mondays with yours truly! i am timolin langin and so happy that we are here together today in the digital building! I hope you’ve had a great weekend!
today, I am going to talk to you about the one thing you can do to thrive and not just survive covid-19 and tough financial times. it’s the dreaded “b” word—budget! i hope to present this “b” word in a way that makes you say, yeah i want to budget! budgeting is my ticket to increasing financial success!
so let’s look at the “b” word, budget in terms of water & we know water moves, circulates, and flows; this topic is important because how money flows in and out of our hands is a big determinant of financial well being.
Our goal today is to show you just how implementing a couple of easy budgeting techniques can increase your financial and emotional well being!This works no matter where you start be it with 1 dime, 1 dollar or 1 million dollars! I know god calls us all to be good stewards over everything he has entrusted to us, this stewardship includes our wealth, our health & our self—our self, primarily meaning our emotions.
we have to budget our feelings! think about it when our feelings run wild, we overeat, overtalk, and/or overspend! These feelings or tests happen when we least expect them; like yesterday of all places, this happened in my place of worship. Normally, “conversations” like this would’ve led me to eat 100 peanut butter cookies but i didn’t! instead i quickly shifted as we have discussed! if you missed that livestream and blog about shifting, go to livelikeamillionairenow.wordpress.com.
this year 2020 has been all about shifting!
let’s shift our thought, point of view around the “b” word—budget. a budget is not a stagnant, never-changing, non-moving document, but it is a strategic, written financial plan that tells your money what to do and what not to do—that’s how money works for you—when you wield it like a tool. Just like you guide and direct a hammer, do that long enough and strategically, I am almost 100 percent sure you will live like a millionaire on your budget!
as your lifestyle changes, from single to married, debt to no debt, as your finances increase or decrease, we adjust our financial spending accordingly and create new habits. covid-19 made us all shift our thinking and habits, as many of us began to work from home and that shift led to other new and unforeseen outcomes. but yet as things change, some things remain the same as big mama would say–budget.
budget basics, monitoring income and expenses, knowing when and where to cut backs, formulating strategic plans to reduce debt and make more money will always be at the core of wealth building and increasing financial success. In my book, i share 40+ ways you can spend differently which will put more money in your pocket just like a raise or salary increase because you’ve cut your weekly spending costs by one third to one half.
you will feel richer, you will have more money in your pocket to tackle student loans, credit card debt or just debt, debt, debt…oooh imagine no more debt weight! We talked about this in a previous blog and livestream; continue to steer away from receiving now, pay later offers! consider carefully and avoid quick acceptance.
if you take the two month delay payment plan now, then somewhere down the road you’re going to have to pay 3 or 4 payments to catch up. it seems doable for 1 expense, but imagine doing this 2 or 3 times for others, and now 6 months payments are due at one time. something about that water is not flowing right; it may feel like you’re drowning!
So I said all of that to say this, it’s never too soon or too late to take a strategic look at your current financial state and formulate a strategic plan to achieve your life goals which is what the live like a millionaire now movement is all about! it all starts with a wielding your money tool via a budget that makes financial cents and sense!
Here’s how most gurus speaks about a budget allocation plan. they say you should spend your income this way:
50% needs
30% wants
20% savings
I would modify this plan a little. if you have credit card debt, student loans, & are still receiving an income then i recommend the following until you’ve got a good handle on your strategic financial plan:
50% needs
10% giving
20% debt elimination
10% savings
10% wants
Now, if you’ve been following me you know that I live like a millionaire now movement was born at the australian open where i got to sit in the front row directly behind both venus and pregnant serena’s bench! As they played separate matches in the semifinal of the australian open, i had a moment with Serena that would last a lifetime as she greeted me with the warmest smile and eye to eye contact.
so the movement is about us working people worldwide being strategic with our money so we can create those millionaire moments and leave a good legacy behind, to live life by design, not default! live like millionaires on our budget not just pay bills! but sometimes we have to engage in corrective action before we get to the fun stuff, particularly the fun stuff that costs! you know there are free things we can do for fun, some of you have seen me hiking and running! fun things that don’t cost you nothing
wrapping up, i recommend saving while taking care of your essential needs and paying down debt. if you can’t save 10 cents out of every dollar, then save your pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters
i keep getting back to that, you’ll be surprised how coins come in handy. here’s an example, i had just come back from a run and stopped by trader joes to pick up a couple items. i didn’t have my pocketbook as big mama would say and no money in my little waist purse. what did i do? i wen back to my car; my car console and gathered coins needed to pay for my groceries. no shame here…i am recalling many times in the early days where i have pulled up to mcdonalds parking lots with my nickels and dimes to pay for my fish filet…
let me wrap this up and talk about giving…
tim, how can i afford to give when i am already struggling to pay essential bills?
I lovingly say, you can’t afford not to! That’s poor english but big mama’s wisdom!
my big mama taught me the bible and it says give and ye shall receive….
This biblical principle is rooted in faith, so there is no natural explanation for how it works! I just know it does! What I can tell you is that I am a tither, I am a giver and in doing so, i have been blessed time and time again…if you have no religious affiliation, then consider giving to a charity or organization you value.
When I teach real estate classes, i am going to unpack this layer by layer and give you the details; but i can tell you it works.
as we come to a close,
i can tell you that the money nuggets i share here are tips that i have actually practiced.
I can tell you that I come from very humble beginnings but as I saved one little coin, planted 1 little financial seed, 1 took 1 little step of faith, my little financial seed began to grow…grow into something I am very proud of…and still growing even in the midst of tough financial times.
i want to close with this, i am just a little country girl from ms with no connections, no rich uncle,but i have seen things, been places and interact in circles where my pedigree says how in the world did you do that?.
so i will conclude by saying live like a millionaire now was born out of a desire for all of us working people worldwide to be and do according to our calling & live our lives by design; not default!
Live Like a Millionaire Now! 
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