Finance: Money Facts I Learned Along The Way

Some cents this rainy season...

Reminiscing the time my parents are still here. October is my father's death anniversary, Mom's birthday is November, Dad's birthday is in December then my mother's death anniversary is in January. Maybe that's the reason why I am so sentimental during ber months. Adding up the on-and-off typhoon these past few weeks.

While we are growing up, I can still vividly remember how our parents always discuss to us the value of money. From how to be responsible in dealing with money, how to learn how to save, and even how to responsibly spend it. That we are not rich but we can change the manner in which we value money.

My father always told us that when we study hard and finally graduated, we will definitely have a good job to sustain us and that is the time we can buy whatever we want. It was instilled in my mind until I graduated. But let me share the reality. He was right but I must admit, it is not as easy just like when my father used to tell us.

I find myself overwhelmed with the real world. I finally graduated and got a good job, but that doesn't mean I can really buy whatever I want. I struggle with how to survive each month, wherein I have to deal with my own expenses and budget the money I am earning during that time.

Moving forward, I aged and outgrow the overwhelming issue of money. I learned how to spend wisely now, from overspending to conservatively spending. In line with this, I have been into so many trial and error experiences. I used tracking apps, website calculators, and the like. Joined group forums, and watched videos to learn more about my finances.

So here are some of the Money Facts I learned that I guess I should share with everyone.

Live within your own phase

This is very important to me. Before I used to pity myself for not being able to afford what others can but from here I learned that whenever you compare yourself to others, you will never be ever contented. I totally understood this during the time I left the corporate world. I started freelancing and when I am starting I definitely not earning what I used to earn. My life had gone from earning over xx thousand a month to nothing in a month. There was a time when I even questioned my self-worth, and my insecurities flared. I watched as those I knew all moved on in their lives, friends and previous officemates buying their own cars, and beautiful homes, traveling on and off the country, while I remained stuck back in my province. 

As time goes by, I learned how can we be happy with less. Started reading about minimalism. Though I can't call myself a minimalist yet, I learned to appreciate every single moment. Less money but more time. That with what I used to earn before cost me less sleep and a lot of stress. That I missed so many family gatherings, etc. 

From that, I learned that each one of us has its own phase and that it's also a matter of choice. Now, I chose to live life the way I want to. I don't have the lifestyle before but I am much happier now. 

Be Resourceful

Since I left my corporate job. I didn't want to just stay at home and do nothing. Before resigning, I tried to research online jobs and even tried applying to make sure I have some fallback after leaving my job. Well, to be fair, there are so many opportunities that you can find over the internet. Gone are the days when we are all requiring a nine-to-five job to say it's a decent job. Aside from looking for online jobs, I tried maximizing my online presence. From there I learn that I can still make money with my blog. So yeah, I earn something from my social media channels. It's not a big amount like those of the celebrities but at least I am earning from it. Not expecting much but it's a passive income. I earn from it while enjoying writing and doing content. If you want to learn more about how I do it, feel free to shoot me a message. Adding up my social media list below (shameless plug), lol.

Spend Money for your loved ones but include yourself

Before, I used to be guilty whenever I buy something for myself. I am fond of buying for my family with the thought of they deserve it more than anyone in the world. But as I get older, I learned to reward myself too. Now, whenever I reached a certain goal or earned from some work. I treat my family and include myself too. May it be going out, eating altogether, or buying something on my list. Yes, I have a list of what I want to have so whenever it's time to reward myself, I know what I already want.

Make sure to know your needs and wants and which should be prioritized so you would not be broken. You can split the expenses from one month to another. Know that it is not always time for a reward, so make sure it will not hit your budget.

Make a budget list

I am an accountant but before I don't really apply it to myself. Oftentimes I feel that there is no need for me to track my own expenses as long as I can live within my earnings. Whenever I know that I am over budget before, I just tend to say to myself, Oh hey, Jona, next payday is coming. Yes! But that was before when I am not responsible for my earnings and expenses.

Before I get married, I actually used excel sheets during the time we are planning the wedding. Probably that was the time I started to track each and every expense we make because for me there is another party involved and I don't want it to be the start of some misunderstandings or trust issues. And mind you, I regret all the times that I didn't get to do that. The old me is blaming myself for not doing that earlier.

Make the most out of the Internet

Since there is already an internet, everything is readily available and there is no excuse that you cannot have something or learn something. So this is not about money or finance education only, it applies to everything. Just like what I have mentioned above, be resourceful.

Not only I learned from watching videos but I found good resources which can really help me on tracking my finances. For me, using online calculators really works well on me. I see to it that I integrate it with my monitoring file especially when it involves a big amount of money. I love how it works and you can also play on the numbers.

Whenever we are planning to buy something or there would be a big amount of money involved, I make sure I get to see which will be more beneficial. I play around with the amounts involved, if we will be getting a loan or if we will be using our savings, which will cost much, and whatnot. 

Websites such as Calculator.me take into account your current financial plans, and current interest rates for loans or rates when it comes to savings. You can use different calculators depending on your needs. Here is an example whenever I want to check for an eye bird's view of our financial plans. You can set a target net income and then it will provide a range of amounts for possible expenses. From here you will already get an idea of the particular amounts.

 

List down your Goals or create a mood board

Apart from getting a planner or sourcing information online, for me creating a list of goals, mood board, vision board, or whatever you call it really works for me.

You can put your dream car, house or dream destination, or whatever you want to achieve in the coming months and years. I feel more determined and motivated to reach them whenever I get to see our goals. Plus  I feel very much proud whenever we get to tick each of them. I am sharing this because I am positive that it can really create an urge for us to pursue our dreams.

I hope somehow you will find this post helpful and informative. I just want to share this as others might be still having a hard time starting. It is hard, yes, but it is better if we tried to start since in the long run, we will get used to it and it will turn into part of your normal routine and probably, just like me, you will regret the times wasted of not trying to use such.

In case you were able to start your finance and budgeting journey, feel free to share your experience in the comments below.