Finance : Get your Money Right in 30 Days

Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, money coach and founder of  The Fiscal Femme, to share tiny tweaks you can make every day for the next month to cleanse your finances…and seriously boost your bottom line.

Getting Started

DAY 1: SET THREE GOALS

What do you want to accomplish in your financial life? First thing’s first: Write down your top three priorities—like boosting your 401(k) contributions—to help you stay focused over the next 30 days.

DAY 2: PINPOINT YOUR MOTIVATIONS

You set three money goals, bravo. But while the idea of paying off your debt once and for all is exciting, it’s helpful to identify why you want to do this (for example, bumping up your savings for an upcoming trip) and how your life will change if you achieve this.

DAY 3: ASSEMBLE A SUPPORT NETWORK

Money is tough to discuss, but if you don’t share your financial goals with the people you care about—like your hubby or BFF—it’s hard for them to support you. (Cue your best friend keep telling you to treat yo’self .)

DAY 4: KEEP A MONEY JOURNAL

Write down (or type out) everything you spend and earn each day. For spending, include the item and the price or amount. For the best insight, you should add a line about how you felt before and after you made the purchase.

DAY 5: TRACK YOUR MONEY OUTLOOK

Now that you’re jotting things down, keep track: Did you get giddy before buying something only to feel guilty after? Or feel inadequate about your paycheck? Note when you’re positive about spending habits and when you're negative. (It matters!)

DAY 6: CHANGE YOUR MONEY MANTRA

With money, negative self-talk (like “ugh, I’ll never ever get out of debt”) becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Replace these words with something positive and specific: “I’m going to set aside $5,000 this year.” Then write it on a Post-it and tack it up.

Budgeting 101

DAY 7: MAKE A LIST OF YOUR EXPENSES

List out each of your daily, weekly, monthly, annual and onetime expenses. (For example, groceries, mortgage payment, student loans, dining out, etc.) Refer to your money journal to jog your memory and narrow down categories. No need to plug in costs just yet.

DAY 8: MARK PLACES YOU CAN CUT

Take a look at your credit and debit card statements over the past two months (or better yet, the past year) as well as your journal. What was worth it? What wasn’t? If it doesn’t bring you joy (like an old subscription you forgot about), write it down.

DAY 9: QUANTIFY YOUR LIST

Now you can plug in costs for your expenses. Do it on an annual basis, so if you get one latte per day at $4, that’s $1,460 a year. (Estimates are OK if you don’t know the exact amount.) This gives you an idea of your total spending for the next 12 months.

DAY 10: NOW DO THE MATH

It’s the golden rule of personal finance: [Annual income] minus [The amount you’re hoping to save] = [Annual expenses]. Your annual income is what hits your bank account after taxes and other deductions. (If this end number is scary, don’t fret.)

Spending and Saving

DAY 11: DEFINE “SPLURGE”

When you treat yourself at the expense of something you really want, it’s not a treat. Take a look at your spending and ways you can reallocate your cash toward things that make you happier short- and long-term. (For example, a latte versus a vacation.)

DAY 12: LET GO OF THE REST

It is possible to increase what makes you happy and decrease the cost. For example: You love quality time with your friends but can’t afford the  tab. Host a party at home so you can still catch up at a lower price. It’s all about getting creative.

DAY 13: MAKE MONEY A GAME

Spending plans that are too restrictive don’t work. Instead, allocate funds for something fun (like eating out) and make it a game to come in under budget every week. Put any surplus toward savings.

DAY 14: LIST OUT FRUGAL JOYS

What are activities you love that cost you almost zero dollars? Think: A cup of coffee with a friend or reading a good book. Take note of them and suggest them when you’d rather not break the bank on social plans.

DAY 15: KEEP TABS ON ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS

These are the people, places and things that get the best of our spending. (Like the friend who costs you $100 every time you hang out.) Toxic expenses can be big or small, but the real issue is that they derail your budget.

DAY 16: PLAN A MONEY PARTY

Schedule time in your calendar every two weeks (and include your partner, duh) to check in on your progress toward your money goals—rainy day fund, retirement, etc.—and deal with any bills you have to pay.

DAY 17: TAKE INVENTORY

Check in to see how much you have in your checking, savings, investments and retirement accounts. What do you owe? Any credit card debt or loans and how much is left on that mortgage anyway? Taking inventory helps you calculate your net worth (total assets minus total debt).

DAY 18: CONSOLIDATE ACCOUNTS

Ugh, taking inventory was complicated. As time goes on, we tend to accumulate things: more accounts, more expenses, more clutter. Can you close out any accounts? Or roll over old 401(k)s from previous jobs? It’s all about streamlining.

DAY 19: SEPARATE YOUR SAVINGS

It doesn’t always make sense to have your checking and savings at the same bank. For one thing, it’s too easy to access, and secondly, you might be missing out on a better interest rate. (Online savings accounts are free and earn around one percent.)

DAY 20: PAY YOURSELF FIRST

In most cases, you earn money, live your life, pay bills and wait to see what’s left over at the end of the month. But what if there’s nothing left over? Setting up an automatic transfer to savings (even $5 a week) is a good place to start.

Dollars and (Common) Sense

DAY 21: PLAN FOR EXPENSES

Your emergency fund is there for the costs you can’t anticipate. But there are many things (like holiday spending) that you can. Say you spend $1,000 on an average Christmas. Make it a goal to put aside $83 per month so you’re covered come December.

DAY 22: AUTOMATE EVERYTHING

Not just your bills, but your expenses, too. For example, saving for a move? Have that transfer automatically to a dedicated savings bucket. What about your rent payments? Set it up so this payment is automatically set aside from your paycheck.

DAY 23: MAXIMIZE YOUR BENEFITS

When you start a new job, there’s a lot to learn and you don’t always think your benefits through. Once you’re settled, go back and read everything again. Maybe you should bump up your 401(k) or take advantage of tax-advantaged transit options. The worst thing you can do is leave money on the table.

DAY 24: SAY NO TO FEES

Always (always) negotiate if you incur a fee. But you should also research to see if you’re gettingcharged quarterly or annual fees on your 401(k) or investment accounts. Look out for them—and maintain the balance to avoid them.

DAY 25: PEEP YOUR CREDIT REPORT

Mistakes happen. You can generate your credit report on annualcreditreport.com once a year to be sure there aren’t any errors. If there are, there’s usually a spot to dispute (and remedy) them right from the site.

DAY 26: GENERATE YOUR SCORE

With this number, ignorance is not bliss. A higher score means you’ll get lower interest rates on mortgages and other loans. But keeping an eye on it (aka doing a soft pull) won’t decrease your score. Plus, there are quick ways to bump it up.

A Few Parting Words of Wisdom

DAY 27: REMEMBER, YOU’RE DOING GREAT

Whether you’re creating a debt pay-down plan or getting started with investing, it’s much more important to dive in than to do it perfectly. Even small steps (like eliminating that daily latte) can create big results.

DAY 28: TIE UP ANY LOOSE ENDS

Financial to-dos are stressful. Make a list of anything you’ve been pushing off—like, say, rolling over a 401(k)—and put a time on your calendar to make it happen. Checking it off your list feels great.

DAY 29: CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES

It’s about the little milestones (like cutting $500 in credit card debt). Take a minute to congratulate yourself. Just don’t buy the most expensive wine on the menu.

DAY 30: AND KEEP PLUGGING AWAY

One month down! Now’s the time to set your next batch of financial goals—or keep plugging away at what you set out to do. You've got this!