Money Musings 💠I want to celebrate YOU
What you’ll find below:
Reflection: Let's celebrate 2023
Money Move: The final New Year's planning step
Reel of the Week: Protect your peace during the holidays
It’s time to celebrate!!!
We did it! Regardless of how messy or different than planned or perfectly chaotic your year turned out, you did it. Another trip around the sun.
It’s so important to celebrate how much you’ve accomplished and grown in the last year. I asked you to share your wins, big and small. Here are some highlights:
Saved an emergency fund
Finally have a HYSA
Set up a sinking fund for a shower + wedding I'm attending
Debt free!!! (minus the mortgage)
Almost completely paid off old credit cards
New job!
Took a much higher salary at a competitor that's also a more satisfying role
Moved to a city with a better cost of living for our family with more opportunities
I am so grateful to continue to have the privilege to join you on your money (and life) journey.
Thank you for allowing me to celebrate your wins, support you when there are bumps in the road and financial adult together.
Here are some of my highlights this year:
I earned my CFP® designation in April and am now a CFP® professional
I fulfilled a lifelong dream of living and working from somewhere else for a month. I wrote about it here
We sold our beloved condo and embarked on a new home and money journey as a result (you can read more about it here)
I met some of the family I recently discovered in Spain and we hung out for 3+ hours only speaking in Spanish (a major language goal for me)
I mostly stopped drinking alcohol and implemented a lot of other healthy habits into my life
I strengthened my work boundaries and spent even more time present and enjoying my family
I deepened my understanding and learnings of political extremism on the right and left and am finding where I can make an impact
Feeling grateful! Here’s to 2024.
MONEY MOVE OF THE WEEK
NEW YEAR’S PLANNING SERIES - STEP 4: SET AN INTENTION FOR 2024.
We’ve completed steps #1, #2 and #3 of the New Year’s planning series. What’s left? Setting an intention.
New Year, fresh start.
If you were to sum up your ideal financial life in one word (or even phrase), what would it be? There are no wrong answers.
Ease? Freedom? Confidence? Whatever you choose, you want this to be a word that elicits a positive emotional and physical response. It makes you feel good.
Mine is impact. Choosing high impact projects as far as benefit to my community and/or revenue. And choosing impactful ways to save, invest and spend my money.
Remind yourself of your money intentions often. Make it the background of your phone, have it pop up with your morning alarm clock and share the word with your money buddies.
Make it a good one, because when we set intentions they usually come true!
Hit reply and let me know yours! I've included some you shared below.
your weekly money wins
Here are your intentions / words for 2024
Kecia: Learning
Amanda: Promotion
Becca: Pause (pause to decide if the spend is really worth it)
Megs: Finally start investing
Maggie: Meaningful spending/save
Marina: International travel
Stewardess: Intentional.
Sara: HIGH YIELD SAVINGS ACCOUNT. Oh it was supposed to be 1 word
Kyla: Free from debt in 2024
Wardrobe: Ease!! Not agonizing over every credit card swipe
Lauren: Intention. As a full time student teacher/student intention is important for finances.
Rylee: Value!
Al: Prioritizing joy. I want to reassess where my money can bring me more joy.
Jessica: Informed: making $ decisions from an informed place
Alicia: Enough
Here are all the amazing money moves you made this week
Becca: Win - almost $9000 in our HYSA!
Ashley: Hit 250k net worth a couple of weeks ago, & will hopefully hit 275k net worth this upcoming year
Kyla: Paid off one of my student loans
Chey: I maxed out my 2023 TSP contributions! (Took home 30k, put 22.5k into retirement)
Melissa: I opened up a 529 and set up auto contributions
Ashley: Just put a large sum in a CD for 8 months - I will make a little over $2,400 doing nothing!