Today is December 1st and Christmas is right around the corner and so is the financial pressure to stay on budget.
As our waistlines increase and our bank accounts decrease starting the new year in the gloomiest of Canadian conditions with a proper daily dose of wet & cold cloudy days paired with slippery sidewalks can be daunting.
Facing your financial woes from going over budget doesn’t have to be something you dread if you have the right tools. In fact, it can be pretty fun and exciting… I think!
Cait Flanders, Canadian financial blogger formerly known as Blonde on a Budget paid off $30,000 in debt in two years by implementing a shopping ban and aggressively paying down her debt until she became debt free.
She is now her own boss, still blogging under Cait Flanders at caitflanders.com and she is working on a book. She also got rid of 75% of her belongings embracing a life of minimalism. She has been a huge inspiration to me and I wish I had her discipline (working on it!). She has been my greatest source of information and she has a wicked budget template on her website in Excel which you can download for free. She includes tips and guidance for those who may not be familiar with budgeting on how to create a workable budget.
She also co-hosts a podcast called “Budgets & Cents” with Carrie Smith who has the blog http://www.carefulcents.com which provides lots of interesting topics such as setting goals, financial advice on having your own business, shopping bans and money & relationships. A wonderful free source to help give you ideas on how you can better manage your money.
Anyway, as much as I have loved the freebies Cait has provided as they have helped me a lot, I got myself an early Christmas present which I cannot wait to use.
There was another cover to choose from which has a simpler design, but I decided this particular cover will be a constant reminder to me to control my impulsive shopping ways.
Above you can see both covers, and although I was hesitant to spend the money as it was $40 Canadian, I decided it was an investment and I know by using it I will save money. Unlike other stuff I buy myself this is actually something I really need.
There are inspirational quotes and gentle reminders to bring you back to the mindset you want to maintain for 2017.
There are spread sheets you can pen to paper track and view your progress for each month.
Debt repayment plan spreadsheets will help keep me on track.
And what I love the most about this planner is I can track my spending daily in addition to plan my days with appointments, meetings or dates with my love. LOVE THIS! I have wanted a tool like this for ages as I have a spending track APP on my iPad, but sometimes I forget to track things as I only use my iPad recreationally. This will give me the birds eye view to see how I am spending my moolah. Also, I will be able to flip between the months and compare my spending; perhaps I may see some trends or triggers. No more writing expenses in the corner of a date as I ran out of room in my planner.
If the daily isn’t enough I also get to do a weekly check in with my proud moments in how I spent my money and what I want to accomplish the following week.
This planner is going to force me to prioritize or force me to see how horrific I am with my finances.
I am pretty excited to crack the spine of this baby! I feel excited to face my finances this upcoming 2017 and challenge myself with some financial goals.
You can check out the Mindful Budgeting 2017 planner yourself at caitflanders.com
In the meanwhile…
Peace & Love – Rachel
You Know Jacques! 
Now do it.
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