Become a Conscious Spender
Adapted from The Ms Spent Money Guide by Deborah Knuckey
Money is one of the greatest tools in life. It can buy convenience, freedom, fun experiences, memorable events and all sorts of things that make life more comfortable. But money can also be frittered away, scattered on a pile of small things that have little impact on your life or spent on big-ticket items that have small-ticket results. The way you use your money in your life is up to you.
Conscious Spending is about being aware of how you spend your money and how well that spending aligns with your personal values. Conscious Spending works by minimising the money you spend on the things you enjoy less, in order to free up money for the things you enjoy more. That's all Conscious Spending is: moving money from unfun things that drain your resources and putting it in your pleasure zone. Why spend so much of your life working if you don't use your earnings in a way that makes you most happy?
Take the payment for your work and put it to your own best use. This concept is not selfish and does not mean that you are only spending money on frivolous things. The essence of Conscious Spending is ensuring that your money is spent in a way that supports you. What counts is congruency: whether your spending fits your wants and your values.
The key to getting more of what you want is knowing what it is that you do want. I know this sounds obvious, but how long has it been since you stopped and asked yourself what you really want from life? It's very easy to be caught up in the day-to-day living and never step back and take a look at all the decisions you make about how you live your life and how you spend your money.
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