Creating a Money Healing Plan for 2024 ✨💰💖
Guest Blog by Money Healing Club Moderator, Melissa Jensen
Happy New Year!
I love a good resolution, and this time of the year I usually set about a dozen to change my finances. I’m going to stop superfluous spending, save $100,000, invest, and never incur debt. 🤑 It’s a really nice fantasy. 😇
But in 2023, I joined the Money Healing Club and made some concrete steps in understanding my relationship with money. So while I do have financial goals for this year, they’re rooted on building on what I learned last year. Instead of pie in the sky goals, I’m creating a money healing plan.
To create my money healing plan, I thought about 3 factors:
⚡The energy I wanted to create for myself in the next year.
🏆 Wins from 2023 I could build on.
💰 My specific financial goals.
With the resulting plan, I’m not going to just try and save money this year. I’m going to limit behaviors that hold me back, I’m setting realistic goals that I can actually accomplish, and I’m giving myself room to mess up, learn, and grow! I'm gonna keep exploring my money vibes and move along the road to financial success.💰
My money healing plan is going to look nothing like yours. We are different people with different strengths, triggers, and money histories. But I wanted to share my plan to give an idea of what a money healing plan can look like. If you want more help, join us in the Money Healing Club!
My 2024 Money Healing Plan
My 2024 money healing vision board
Create Calm 😌☕
Overall, I want to create a sense of serenity for my life and my finances in 2024. I have spent the better part of 3 years stressing about money constantly, and I am ready to be free.
First off, I want to declutter my home. My years of overspending mean there’s a lot of stuff in my house, and research suggests that having a cluttered space can actually lead to more spending. I plan on spending the first part of the year making my home a simpler space. 🏠🧺
Also, I’m going to focus on creating healthier habits for myself. And I don’t just mean food and exercise, but also therapy, exploring spirituality, and limiting social media. 2023 often just felt chaotic for me, so in 2024 I want to focus on what is in my control and makes me happy, whether that’s taking long nature walks or just opting out of political talk. 🧘🏽😮💨
Continue making simple swaps 🍽️🔄🏠
When I start to feel deprived, I start to spend, which can make it hard to save money. So I can’t just cut things out of my life, but rather need to replace them with something else that feels equally special.
The past year I’ve gotten really good at bring my lunch, and make sure to pack a dessert to make it more rewarding than $20 fast casual. Instead of going out, I’ll recreate a favorite restaurant meal at home. 🍽️
In 2024 I plan to also carve out intentional time for my hobbies. I've got all the supplies at home, and it's the perfect antidote to keep me away from the clutches of social media, a notorious spending trigger of mine. 🧶🎨
The secret is these endeavors have to feel like indulgences, and I can still have the more expensive options every now and then. So it becomes about balance and building a beautiful life, not cutting out everything that costs money. The fact that is means I can stash away some more savings in just the cherry on top. 🍨
Plan for paying for trips 🗺️💳
I love to travel and already have a big trip planned for 2024 (a jaunt to Paris and Barcelona that also includes seeing Taylor Swift 🎉). And it is already shaping up to be expensive; flights to Europe are the highest I’ve ever seen them. In the past when I knew I had big expenses coming up, I would just kind of hide my head in the sand, put them on a credit card, and hope for the best. 😳
This time, I am creating a money plan and intentionally maximizing my travel points. The sheer act of having a well-thought-out plan has injected calmness into my outlook for the upcoming adventure. It's not just about paying for the trip; it's about creating a roadmap that brings ease to the planning process. 😌
Increase my income 💹💸
Like many of us, I simply didn’t make enough money to live the life I could previously afford in 2023. 📈 So I found another revenue stream by working for the Money Healing Club.
This year, I’m going to continue to try and increase income by growing my side business. But this can also look like asking for a raise, getting a part time job, walking dogs or housesitting, or whatever fits your life and interests.
Even though inflation is predicted to decrease, there is still a lot of economic uncertainty and more money can help us prep for whatever comes. 🌧️💵
Pay down debt & Long-term savings 🎯💲
Notice how my actual financial goals are last? That’s intentional. It’s not because they are the least important; these are very important goals for my financial and mental wellbeing. It’s because that I know through the Money Healing Club that just focusing on external goals does not motivate me.
I can’t just make myself save because I might need money someday. I can make myself save because I want to go on a fantastic trip and to have more calm in my life. When I have done everything else on this list, then the money part clicks for me.
Finding your why behind your money goals is just as important as the goals themselves. Since I’ve done the work to find my why, I know feel ready to start taking these on.
