On Finances

 BLOG ENTRY ON FINANCES

 

                           CASH ONLY = MINIMAL THROUGHFUL SPENDING

 

« A lot of people think the opposite of scarcity is abundance. 

But the opposite of scarcity is sufficiency, which is just enough. »

Brent Kessel

 

Embracing minimalism includes an honest look a our Relationship with money. 

Using credit cards is thought to promote overspending as this money is virtual and difficult to visualize coming out of our pocket.

In the beginning of our introspection into what we are comfortable calling a « sufficiency level » we would do well to Journal about our preferred financial Comfort Zone.

 

For example, let’s say we choose to use only cash for a while- let’s aim at a period of 3 consecutive months to really learn about our habits. 

We start with $500. Keep all our grocery receipts, gas and treats like coffee on the go in a Small box, journaling where today’s cash went, and ending each day with an exact balance of cash left in our box. 

Using only cash gives a hands on, almost sensual feeling about money…

I have created a very basic Excel spreadsheet with color code columns named as such : 

Green/Food  and grocery cleaning items ; Blue/ Telecommunication  cellular, Internet, stamps etc. Red is Luxury Non Essential items : cigarettes, drinks, impulse buying of item on sale etc.

That phase was used to understand my basic financial needs. 

Which included a night out with friends over drinks, which I filed under Orange : Value/Entertainment/Mental Health Investment/Joy, Love and Friendship. Birthday gifts and even donations to charity go into this column. 

  

Reference books :

-1-" It’s not about the money » by Brent Kessel.