ICYMI I recently turned 29 and while there are things about my life I would love to change, I am exceptionally proud of my financial situation.
Over the course of my 20s, I have re-shaped the way I spend money, turned my side hustle into my full-time job to increase my income, and am on track to reach a $1M net worth before I turn 30 (yay!)
I truly started my financial journey when I was 24. Before that, I was financially conscious – but I was not actively taking steps to improve my situation beyond hoarding my money.
Today I am sharing things that I stopped doing when I made the decision to start my financial journey and truly take my finances seriously.
Let’s get into it!
💸 I stopped spending money on sh*t I don’t care about.
I have been in my ~intentional splurge era~ and I plan to stay here. I am super picky about what I will and will not spend money on.
Whether it be an item or an experience, it needs to add tangible value to my life or I am not interested. Getting ruthless about how you spend will change your life.
You can check out some of my favorite intentional splurges here.
💸 I stopped forgetting to return things.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by a return policy 🙋🏼♀️
Returning things is SO ANNOYING especially when it involves printing a return label and needing to go to the post office. But… I do it anyways, because if I don’t return it, I might as well have flushed that money down the toilet.
I am ruthless about what I buy.. I am even more ruthless about what I keep. If I don’t absolutely LOVE it, it goes back. Periodt!!
💸 I stopped agreeing to plans I don’t want to do.
Maybe this is a late 20s thing, but my favorite word is NO! I no longer feel peer pressure to spend money or do things that don’t interest me.
If you aren’t excited about something, it’s not worth it. You can say no – your friends will understand.
💸 I stopped window-shopping and browsing in my free time.
When I lived in Boston, I would pop into Home Goods or Primark on my way home from work all the time. I worked in Back Bay, so Newbury Street was around the corner and I’d shop on my lunch break.
When I decided to start saving more, I STOPPED shopping and browsing in my free time. Instead, I have picked up some hobbies like hiking/walking/pilates/reading/crocheting/cooking etc and will use those to fill my time instead of mindless browsing.
💸 I stopped emotional spending.
Buying things provides a very temporary high. It is so not worth it to shop and seek a dopamine rush when you’re upset. Instead, I have created a “menu” of sorts of things I do instead when I am upset or feeling emotional that DON’T involve swiping my card or buying things I don’t need.
As always, I manage all of my money using The Personal Finance Dashboard – click HERE to get yours!
