This is where your path to financial freedom begins...

Let’s face it: Talking about money isn’t always the easiest thing to do. The hard part is scheduling a time to talk to tackle these sometimes difficult conversations. When you are in a relationship, and your finances are intertwined, having conversations around money can let your partner know your values or money worries. Talking to your significant other about money can help develop your shared goals and identify where your goals diverge. Write Down Your Savings Goals One tactic my spouse and I used when we were dating was to write down our goals individually. We then came together and evaluated where our goals aligned. Next, we planned to budget for our shared goals and our individual goals. Our goals consisted of short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. Our short-term goals listed things we wanted to achieve in a few short months. Our medium-term goals consisted of things we wanted to accomplish within one to two years. Finally, our long-term goals listed everything we wanted to achieve in the future, say five to ten years. How to Have Family Money Conversations Find Ways to Save When you establish goals, the next step is to find ways to save. Here are some ways to save: Identify skills you have that can make money (cooking, yard work, car repair) Sell items that are sitting in an attic or spare room Pick up a part-time job (grocery delivery, dog walking, babysitting) Cutting back on expenses (eating out, cable, unused subscriptions) See how my husband and I tackled our finances in 9 Secret Habits of People With Credit Scores Above 800 Monitor and Update Your Plan It’s essential to monitor your financial plan. It should not be a set it and forget it plan. You should update your plan as you receive pay increases, have children, or buy a new/used car. If you receive a pay increase, think about saving more in your current situation. Ask yourself, should we increase our retirement contributions or adjust our tax withholdings? If you need to pay for daycare, your savings goal may need to be adjusted to reflect these life events. You may even have to think about setting up a 529 savings plan for your new bundle of joy. Continue the Conversation The conversation should continue as time goes on. A tip could be to set a date on your calendar to review your budget quarterly or semi-annually to ensure that your saving goals are on track. If your budget is not on track, this would be the time to try again next month to help you refocus and save. Focusing on positive money habits as a couple is the key to making sound financial decisions and achieving financial stability.

Have you ever woken up on Monday morning to prepare for work and stood in your closet deciding on what to wear? Did the disorganization of your closet cause disorganization of your mind? This can sometimes start the day and the week off with a negative mindset. Disorganization and clutter can also bleed into other areas of your life. Having an organized closet can lead to other aspects of your life becoming organized as well. Organzing Your Closet Organizing your closet can allow you to start the day and week off with a positive mindset. Sorting your clothes by color, season, and apparel type can make it easier for you to decide what to wear for that day and week. It can also eliminate some of the clothes you don’t wear or will never wear again. This can create space in your closet that wasn’t there before and lead to insight into other things in your life that can be eliminated. My closet is organized by color, clothing type, and season (shirts, dresses, pants, etc.). I have my short-sleeve shirts, long-sleeve shirts, coats, and sweaters in separate areas. Organizing my closet this way makes it easy for me to pick out an item when I’m on the go and helps to eliminate searching for that special shirt or dress that I want to wear. This decreases the time that I would spend standing in my closet figuring out what to wear. See my feature in Spring Cleaning 101 on 21Oak. Decluttering Your Closet As the seasons change, I also declutter my closet. To accomplish this, I turned all my hangers backward in my closet. If a hanger is not turned around after six months, I donate or sell that item. This allows me to provide a service to the local community by giving gently used items to those in need. I also sell some of the things and make a profit. You can find online companies or local businesses that will pay you for your gently used items. Find out how I organized my closet at M.M. Lafleur: How to Organize Your Closet, According to Women Who Really Have Their Lives Together. The Importance of Decluttering Organizing and decluttering your closet can lead to positive influences on other aspects of your life. When decluttering your wardrobe, you can see the benefits received from donating or selling your clothes. There is that intrinsic reward received from providing something of value to others. You can also receive a monetary increase by selling your clothes on various levels. You receive money by selling your clothes; you also save money by decreasing the likelihood of purchasing additional clothing items. For example, when your closet is cluttered, you may not find what you’re looking for and buy another “blue shirt.” Now, I know you look your best in your signature color, but how many of those “blue shirts” do you need? How Organization Can Impact Your Life The bottom line is that the benefits of organizing your closet can start your week off with a positive mindset and lead to cost savings in the future. It can also lead to you organizing your desk, your car, and even your kitchen cupboards. Next, you can tackle organizing your budget. An organized budget can lead to an organized life. Let me know if this tip worked for you, the cost savings you noticed, or if you have other suggestions on how you manage your life.