10 Money Tips For a Better Relationship with it
It may not seem like it sometimes, but I’m fairly relaxed about money.
Yes I know, I am not in debt any longer and I’ve saved a fair amount in the past 2 years, but this kind of zen, stress-free attitude towards money stems from a few tips I follow as general, guiding principles towards money.
1) I save what I’ve earned to pay myself
It took me a while to learn this one, but I’ve got it now.
Savings = Your True Salary
Earning a salary at your job is your work salary, but after you deduct living expenses and taxes, what are you left with? Your savings.
Every time you save a dollar and choose NOT to spend it on something frivolous that you know you shouldn’t spend on, you’re paying yourself a dollar more.
If you make money but spend every penny of it then you’ve essentially earned nothing in the whole year to show for all those hard days of work.
If you’ve only saved $100 out of your whole working year, then you were only paid $100.
(Of course, I am not counting people in debt here. I’d consider their debt repayments to be like savings).
2) I think and talk about money with others
No brainer here. I love to talk about money.
I’m interested in how people use it, save it, allocate it. It’s fascinating how something like money (a tool), can mean so many different things to so many different people.
I am money curious! Hence why I call myself a “moneythropologist” I guess (anthropologist of money ? 
I like seeing how it’s used by myself and others.
3) I do all my banking online
Maybe I’m just spoiled from having high speed internet, but I loathe walking into a bank, waiting in line and then having to speak and explain to a teller what I want.
I even pay all of my business taxes online. I manage all my money online, read more about how you can use online banking. I can’t stand mailing in a piece of paper and a cheque any more. It’s so antiquated.
I like having it instantly paid, and off my mind.
If it’s just taking out money, I am uncomfortable asking for any amount of money, because people can hear what a teller is saying and even see her count it out in front of you!
If I could wire transfer everything without paying fees, I would.
4) I track it all because knowing is better than being clueless
You would think that talking, thinking and tracking my money would make me go crazy and become even more stressed out, but the control on my money keeps me stress free because I have a plan and I am executing according to that plan to the best of my abilities.
It’s the NOT knowing about my money, is where I get stressed.
When I was in debt, tallying up those numbers gave me good food for thought.
I couldn’t believe I had debt in the 5-figure range!
But it was a better night’s sleep after I had tallied it all up.
Even today, being well out of debt, I am still tracking and forecasting my income and expenses for the year to see how things will turn out for me.
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