Episode 6: Money & Mindset

This week I had the opportunity to chat with my friend Chrissy Ford of Ace Your Health and Wealth, LLC. Her mission is to help others reclaim their finances and create a healthy mindset. Chrissy coaches people to create a simple sustainable budget that can be fun and freeing, and works with them to make savings a priority - at any income level.

A year or so ago, Chrissy worked with her own coach who helped her transform her life. Originally she hired the coach to help her gain healthy habits for her physical body, and she got so much more. Attaining a healthy mindset allowed her to make needed changes - diet, exercise, and weight loss - that led to a ripple effect of other positive changes in her life. Inspired by this, and the overcoming of her own past and limitations in both physical and financial health, Chrissy now helps others do this, too.

Money and mindset can be very challenging issues for people, especially women, depending on background and limiting beliefs. Both topics are very important to master, though! Money is a tool for us to be able to support ourselves with, a resource for us to be able to procure our needs and wants, and a way to give back to society.

Some common problem areas can be overspending, not saving enough, not knowing where your money is going, and feeling out of control and overwhelmed. Chrissy works with individuals one on one to help them gain control and shift into healthy habits. She wrote a workbook to help you get started, called Creating Healthy Money Habits (find it here).

Chrissy’s top 3 tips if you struggle with overspending:

1. Eliminate/minimize your temptations (e.g. credits linked to websites, clothing/makeup subscriptions)

2. Always put money in savings/debt repayment first, then you use the remaining

3. Be mindful and intentional with your dollars. Ask yourself what am I investing in or who am I going to help when I spend this.

Do you truly “want”/“need” it?

If you are looking for a budget program I used to get our own personal finances under control, click here to find out more about You Need A Budget (YNAB). Despite doing Dave Ramsey and using Microsoft Money in the past, THIS was the simple tool that helped us get out (and stay out) of debt and start building our savings. Far from being restrictive, budgeting has given me control over our finances and a freedom to live in a way we couldn’t before. Gone is the panic when the bills come in, I now have a funded category for which to pull from. YNAB also offers video tutorials to get started and offers a free trial. I like that it is web-based and I have an app that I can keep track of my spending even on the go.

If you need some more help than a budget program, check out Chrissy on Facebook and Instagram, and contact her for more information on her coaching services.

How is YOUR money mindset? Do you have favorite tips to share???