Introduction to Mindfulness

Your introduction to Mindfulness.

Start here and learn from Sabina.

Next, try this simple mindfulness session on counting breathing.

Click to begin

Mindfulness to manage Unexpected expenses

Unexpected expenses can catch us by surprise and create feelings of anxiety or stress.

If you’re faced with an unexpected expense, try our mindfulness practice to help you become calm and centred.  

The calmer you are, the more likely you are to cope emotionally and financially with an unexpected expense.

Allocate some quite time, get comfortable and enjoy the guided meditation from Sabina.

Click here to start.

 

Planning ahead

Many of our unexpected expenses aren’t so much unexpected as they are unplanned. When you become aware of an event or situation that is on the horizon, be sure you are planning for the related expense.

If you’ve been invited to an event, such as a birthday or wedding, if it’s been a while since you last saw the dentist, or you’ve taken your dog to the vet, then put it on your list so you can start to plan for it.

Keep a list of any further anticipated expenses. Keep a physical list in your wallet or handbag, create a note or memo on your phone or computer of all the expenses that you will need to address in the future. Every time you think of something add it to your lists. The more you get used to thinking ahead and making of a note of what’s coming up, the fewer things that will “pop up” throughout the month.

A few common expenses that may come up include:

  1. Medical expenses;
  2. Prescriptions;
  3. Doctors and Dentist bills;
  4. Unplanned education costs;
  5. Vet bills and animal care;
  6. Membership renewals;
  7. Car maintenance and registration;
  8. Home maintenance and repairs;
  9. Weddings, birthdays, and social events; and
  10. Interest rate increases.

Planning for things helps to take the uncertainty out of them and supports you to better prepare and manage them.

If you’d like to know more about managing unexpected expenses, click here.

Mindful Spending

Being a mindful spender is not about restricting your spending, but being conscious of how, when and where you spend your cash.

“Marketing tactics such as one time only sales offerings, promotions and discounts are all designed to get us to spend big,” says Lea Clothier, a money behaviour coach who helped design the Financial Mindfulness program.

“Tactics such as the use of time, or volume-based limitations and ‘buy now or miss out’ messages create a sense of scarcity and trigger a fear of missing out (FOMO).”

Creating a perception of scarcity is a successful way of making goods and services seem more appealing. Big companies spend millions unlocking the psychology of shoppers, because doing so is worth billions.

Generally, red flags include words, phrases, and images such as:

  1. for a limited time only;
  2. 24-hour sale;
  3. hurry;
  4. don’t miss out; and
  5. any symbol suggesting a countdown, such as a clock.

Once we become familiar with these tactics, we can better understand what drives our behaviour with spending!

This article shares some strategies to help you create more awareness of your spending patterns and become a more mindful spender.

Behind in your bills?

Being behind in payments can be very stressful and may feel overwhelming. Don’t panic! If you can’t afford to pay all your bills this month here are some things you can do to take control:

  1. Focus on the present. Do not imagine future events. Stay focused on the things you can do today to improve your situation and regain control of your finances;
  2. Be a detective. Identify what is making it difficult to make your bill payments. Do you know the answer to this question? Are you forgetting to pay bills? Are you disorganised? Did you have any unexpected expenses? Have you been shopping or going out more than usual? Write down the reasons that prevent you from paying bills and see if you can find a solution to each one; and
  3. Consider your priorities. Review your list of bills and identify which ones you can stop, replace, or cancel that aren’t essential. Pay TV, streaming services, newspaper and magazine subscriptions, extra phone features, paid memberships can all be paused or cancelled until you are back on top of your commitments.

There is an art to paying bills in a seamless and stress-free way!

Review your Spending

Establish which expenses are not necessary.  For example, ask yourself “if need be, where could I reduce or cut back if I have to?”.

Often the things you can cut back on our discretionary items or variable expenses such as luxury items, clothes, entertainment, subscriptions, etc.

Want to learn some simple ways to manage your bills and spending better?

Check out this helpful article: https://financialmindfulness.com/paying-bills/

 

 

Mindfulness for Budgeting

Does the thought of a budget make you feel uncomfortable, stressed or restricted?

Have you tried budgeting in the past and failed?

Do you avoid the “B” word?

Why not take our mindfulness meditation to help you align your mindset and set you up for success with budgeting.

Set aside 16 minutes in a quite environment and enjoy the lovely voice of Sabina.

Click here to start.

Culling Costs

If you’re finding it hard to make ends meet, or you do not have a surplus cashflow (i.e., you have more expenses than you do income), the first step is to review your expenses to determine whether there are any expenses you can cut back on, or remove completely.

  1. Some suggestions to modify expenses are:
  2. Changing the frequency of the expenses, an example might be eating out less often;
  3. Renegotiating with service providers. An example could be changing your mobile phone plan or electricity provider;
  4. Reviewing personal, general, or car insurance to ensure you’re getting the best deal;
  5. Consolidating debts to reduce interest charges and repayments;
  6. Refinancing a mortgage or other debt;
  7. Selecting one TV streaming service, not three;
  8. Avoiding impulse spending on lifestyle items; and
  9. Reviewing your subscriptions and cancelling unused items.

 

Benefits of Budgeting

Keeping a budget can allow you to:

  1. Save money;
  2. Pay off debt;
  3. Invest in superannuation and your retirement
  4. Pay off loans early;
  5. Avoid credit card interest;
  6. Avoid buy now pay later products;
  7. Cover education costs;
  8. Take holidays;
  9. Achieve goals;
  10. Reduce financial stress; and
  11. Enjoy life!

Do you need to start culling costs, here are some simple suggestions.

Ways to Budget

There are many ways to budget; they range from simple to complex, depending on your needs.

Examples include:

  1. Paper-based systems such as simple income and expense sheets and ledgers or accounting books;
  2. Computer-based spreadsheets, including Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets; and
  3. Budgeting Apps and software programs. There are many applications available both free and paid.

Budgeting is essential to improving your finances. For a budget to be effective it needs regular attention to become a habit.

What are the benefits? Click here.

Check out these simple steps or try our “how to budget” module by downloading our App.