A little over a year ago, I decided it was time to take control over my finances. I had no budget, was shopping by impulse (it was either that or chocolate), and was living paycheck to paycheck.

They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it can certainly give you freedom to make choices, to go see a relative who is ill, to study, to leave an abusive relationship, to care for the people you love, to leave a toxic work environment… You name it.

Dealing with your own money, analyzing your spending patterns, and understanding what is happening, is almost like an inner look into your soul. A lot of people don’t deal with their own money situation because it is a subject that is very emotional.

Having a healthier financial life, will most certainly allow you to have a more healthy (and equal) relationship with your partner and with yourself. Yes, it is true.

So, if you read my last post, and found out your current financial scenario, it is time to set up a budget. There are a number of tools that you can use, such as Mint, YNAB (You Need a Budget), Acorns, Albert… Here is a list with the 7 best budget apps according to Nerd Wallet.

You have all these wonderful alternatives, or you can set up your own Excel spreadsheet, which is my favorite method, since I like to have full control of all the categories I include in my budget. For example, I have an entire session just for pets. Mint does offer that type of customization as well, but for some reason it didn’t work for me. Just to be clear, I do use Mint as well, but I use it mostly to keep track of all my credit card spending and credit monitoring.

And that’s the thing, the way you work your budget is very personal. It’s like finding the right type of panties. You might like two different models and use them both.The important thing is to try and stay consistent about setting up, tracking and sticking to your budget.

If you would like more tips on how to set up an Excel spreadsheet for your budget. drop me a line here.

The post How to Make a Budget That Works for You? appeared first on Pinkturesque.

Many times I’ve asked myself this question, and the answer was always “no” even though I was clearing over five thousand dollars a month. Life in Seattle got a lot more expensive over the years. But I thought to myself that that was not okay.

Granted, I was in the middle of my divorce, and the costs of getting divorced are high. I was also spoiling myself a lot; I thought that I deserve being a little spoiled given the fact that I was ending a marriage and going every day to a job that I was dreading every single day.

Ending a marriage at 34 years old, with no kids, sort of struck me. I thought to myself, “Am I going to be alone for the rest of my life?” or “How is my retirement looking like?”

These questions really make you think. I grew up in Brazil, a super sexist country, where women are very underrepresented in the workplace and, needless to say, make less money than man by default. Just like in the U.S., the scenario is changing, but at a languid pace.

Growing up, I remember seeing my parents having a great relationship. I’d only see fights about money. My mother would hide her shopping bags in the trunk of the car after a trip to the mall. She did never have financial education, even though she was an Engineer.

That is the mentality and status quo in Latin American countries: men make the big bucks, women can have an excellent career, but they (men) run the show and the finances.

Having that said, I didn’t have a financial education either. I remember my father trying to teach me a few things about budgeting and saving money, but I never really do any of it. And he didn’t push it either.

Awareness and Decluttering

Fast forward 20 years, and guess what? It finally hit me that I need to learn these things once and for all. Being on my own in a foreign country was enough to make me realize that.

It was a long and slow process. I was always a big spender. So the first thing I started doing was shopping less. Sounds simple, right? While analyzing my shopping patterns, I realized I made too many impulse purchases.

You see, I didn’t stop shopping. It’s one of my favorite things in the world. But every time I would purchase something, I would ask myself “Do I really need this?”, “Do I have room in my home for this?”, and finally, “Does this really brings me joy?” God bless Marie Kondo.

If you are just getting started on this journey, I highly recommend her books. It will not only help you unclutter your home but also make you more aware of the things you buy.

The Sparkle

While in traffic, I started listening to a few podcasts about money and investment. The very first podcast I listened to was Teach Me How to Money After that, I started listening to the Chris Hogan Show. After his podcast, I was hooked! I learned about the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps, joined the Hogan’s Everyday Millionaires Facebook Group. And, little by little, I started implementing everything I was learning into my everyday life.

I wasn’t perfect about it, though, and I still try to improve a little every day. I am all about the 1% a day technique – that is better to improve 1% every day than trying to improve 100% in a short period and failing.

The Answer

The whole point of the question, is to find out if you are making enough money to take care of your present self and your future self.

Most of the financial advisers out there will tell you that the average Joe (or Mary), need at least $1 MM to retire comfortably. Do you know how much you have to set aside to achieve this amount by the time you are 65 years old?

Yes, the earlier you start saving, the better and easier it will be for you. If you don’t do this yet, don’t worry. We can hold hands and go through this journey together.

Before you start saving, you need to figure out your current financial life. Get a “picture” of it, so you can make sense of it and figure out what you need to do to start saving. I know I had to do it and it wasn’t easy.

Looking at my financial health was like doing soul searching, and having to look inwards. It’s a journey that can be frightening, but also very liberating.

I prepared a PDF for you to get an idea of where you are standing financially and answering the ultimate question: Do you make enough money to be able to handle a rainy day or take care of your future self? Click here to download it.

This is the very first step for a healthier financial life. Thank you for sticking around and check in next week to continue this journey with me

The post Are You Making Enough Money? appeared first on Pinkturesque.

If you, like me, is in your thirty somethings, and not sure you are happy with your career then you are not alone.

That is actually why I started this blog. To find out what I am passionate about. My problem is not that I don’t have passions, I have too many passions.

Growing up, I remember wanting to be an astronaut, TV host, model, lawyer, seamstress, marketeer, singer, teacher, to finally get a Fashion Design Bachelors degree that I do not use. Ain’t that maddening?!

I ended up finding out that I have a talent for sales. And within sales, I’ve developed an experience in very different industries: textiles import/export, technology, design/furniture, and jewelry. As much as I love sales, I do miss a sense of purpose.

“Don’t work a day in your life”

– Unknown

I do not believe that everyone should do what they are passionate about. “Don’t work a day in your life”, they would say. This is for the luck ones, the exception, the black swans.

What About Hobbies?

It’s well known that we should all have hobbies. I bet your grandmother used to tell you that hobbies are important. The Baby Boomers had careers they were not passionate about (the vast majority), their primary concern was not being professionally fulfilled, but putting food on the table.

That is why it was so important for them to have hobbies. As one therapist once explained to me, hobbies are important to blow out some steam outside of work, we all need that. Even if you are fulfilled with your career.

In an interview with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, she says she doesn’t think we all should do what we are passionate about. The reason for that being that once our passion becomes a job, than you might just lose your special relationship with it. I am 100% with her on this.

Find What Suits You Best

I am not here to give you a step by step on how to find your passion, but I did find some great sources on how to do that. One might work better for you, some might not.

I really like the approach Corrina Gordon-Barnes wrote on The Muse. She proposes 6 ways to find your passion.

If you are looking for a more psychology oriented approach, here is a good text from Dr. Susan Biali, M.D on Psychology Today.

I think life is all about finding what works for you, and for you only. There is no such thing as one size fits all. Sometimes there is not a recipe ready on a silver platter and we have to get our hands dirty. And that is okay, in the end of the day, it’s all about the journey

What About Finances?

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