Going from Week to Week to then Hitting the Path to Financial Freedom
“I was living week to week…. no savings…. and no real clue on where I’d end up financially”
The road to saving money can be full of roadblocks, limitations and fear of losing control for many people. However, in reality, it all comes down to simple introductions to your life; revolving around planning, reviewing, elimination, and habitual routines. Saving isn’t a quick win, but rather, it introduces simple routines and parameters into your life that lead you to a better financial position in the long run.
For many Australians, we can suffer with the mental barrier of ‘it’s too hard’, or ‘I don’t earn enough’, and justifying this against ‘if I earned more or had more time then I would be able to do this’. The reality is it just takes a small start, and over the long run, it will always prove to work.
Below are the journeys taken by everyday people to break the mould and save.
If I Earned More, Then I’d Be Able to Save
At the beginning of 2015, I was living week to week on my full-time job. I had no savings, a small amount of debt ($10,000), and no real clue on where I’d end up financially. My goals were very broad, and more ideologies than anything that should be set in stone. My mindset was always, ‘If I earned more, then I’d be able to save’ and thus be able to achieve financial independence and a future of financial success.
Bills would come through and regular expenses would always keep me on my toes. Some weeks, I would be able to do what I wanted with my earnings, but that’s not always the case. At some point, I would encounter an urgent expense that I couldn’t pay for.
“I’m borrowing from next month to buy food for this month…. Which now means I’ll be short for next month too.”
I knew something had to change.
Reading online, talking to friends – the same information is regurgitated. 10 fast ways to get rich. 8 simple steps to get you on your finances. 44 ways you can achieve financial success. But how can any of these be applied for someone that’s already on the brink?! If I earned more, SURE! But there’s no way I can do these now?
I then came across a plan that was simple.
Planning, reviewing, elimination, and habitual routines. Not having a ‘goal’ but a vision. A vision of where I could be in 5, 6, 10 years.
After a very slow start and simple checks that I do regularly to keep myself engaged, I slowly started to feel the difference. Sure, I was only saving a few cents at the start here and there, but soon enough they became dollars. Immediately, my mindset changed from ‘where is the savings now’ to just being ‘I am on the path to my financial vision’.
7 years later, I’m debt free.
I’m now really getting ahead. My savings are in the 6 figures and my earnings, funnily enough, have increased but nothing that is massively different. Introducing small changes into my life has really made a massive difference. Where I am now isn’t because of any magic potion or simple quick fix, but all down to small changes to get me on the right track.
My next challenges are to buy a house, start a family, and to build a proper emergency fund.
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