Finding Financial Confidence
This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own.
C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.C.E. What does confidence mean to you. I remember being 7 or 8 years old and incredibly shy. My mom still jokes about how I wouldn’t go up to the counter at a fast food restaurant to ask for ketchup….there isn’t even a risk they would say no, but I was scared. I can still be that shy little girl sometimes when I am forced into conversation with folks I don’t know, but the years have brought confidence. Successes in high school, like reciting ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in front of my peers…in college, like being the activities chair for my sorority, and even this blog and the fact that you fine folks read it continue to build my confidence. I see this shyness in Chickadee when she is encouraged to talk to a stranger and I am determined to gently build her confidence so by the time she is 7 or 8 the folks at Chick-fil-a gladly hand her ketchup when she asks!
As I shared on Friday, 2017 is going to be a BIG year for our family! Not only are we adding a sweet baby GIRL to our crazy crew, we are also going to be adding a new car (minivan advice, anyone??), probably a new HVAC (both upstairs and downstairs…boo), and we are considering getting new hardwood floors. There are a lot of financial hits on both the need and want list, and to get any or all of them accomplished stress free it is important to be in a place of financial freedom. This blog and the small income it has made over the years has truly helped get my family in a place of financial freedom. We have been able to live on III’s income from day one and save my teaching salary (when I was working) and also this blog’s income to set up our “egg-nest.” It was invaluable when buying our last car and being able to write a check so that we didn’t have to worry about a monthly payment. It also afforded us the opportunity to buy a house and put down 20% to avoid extra fees as you are trying to build up your principal. Not worrying about a sizable mortgage or car payment are two major accomplishments that helped up to grow financial confidence. And we are very thankful to be in a place where we can hit both our needs and wants. But it takes work and constant focus on where our money is going to continue to be in such a position.
April is Financial Literacy Month, and I’m once again teaming up with Suntrust’s onUp Movement to encourage y’all to take positive steps towards achieving financial confidence. I encourage you to ask if you consider yourself financially free? If so, what positive steps can you continue to stay financially free? If not, what steps can you take today toward being financially free?
My most valuable tip in being financially free is, KNOW WHERE YOUR MONEY IS GOING. In a world of credit cards, Paypal, and immediate access to cash it is easy to spend spend spend without tracking that spending. The most invaluable part of our finances is our budget. III is an accountant, so he has created a very detailed Excel spreadsheet where we input receipts on a weekly basis. This allows us to know exactly where every dollar is going and doesn’t allow us to spend money we don’t have. It also causes us to categorize needs verses wants. All of our needs, tithe, and saving goals are hit first…then comes the wants. Every month we pay off credit cards. Try and figure out a way to not let your debt grow. Financial confidence will grow your self confidence. Start today! Start saving for your child’s future with The Children’s ISA tax-free savings until their 18th birthday.
Head on over to SunTrust’s OnUp website today for more stories, tips, and tools to start your patch to financial confidence. SunTrust wants to motivate people to move past their worry and focus on financial confidence.
At SunTrust Bank their purpose is lighting the way to financial well-being. When you feel confident about your money, you can save for your goals and spend knowingly on what matters most to you.
The onUp Movement is 1 million strong…and growing. onUp is about having the confidence to move forward one smart step at a time.
Join now and start building your financial confidence today.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of SunTrust. The opinions and text are all mine.
