We should all look to improve our speeding habits if we earn no more than the average wage. It is one of the healthy habits we must adopt to improve our mindset. Similar to how you exercise and eat food. You do these things to help improve your mental wellbeing. All you need to do is have some good financial habits.
There are many ways to change your spending habits including creating a plan that is more of a lifestyle change rather than a temporary change. Let’s see how you can incorporate mindful spending habits into your lifestyle.
Check Your Bank Account Regularly
One of the best habits you can adopt if you struggle to stick to monthly budgets is to check your bank regularly. You should check how much money you have at the end of the week. It is a great way to see if you have stuck to your weekly budget. It also allows you to ensure you haven’t been a victim of fraud or a trading scam.
If you know you have had an expensive week, we advise you to check your bank account after a few days. Maybe you have been away from home for a few days so you had to spend on your meals and drink. Just ensure you keep track of how much you spend before you lose control. That gives you a sense of security and you are not worrying about spending too much.
Create A Wish List
A wish list or a waitlist is something else you can do to ensure you incorporate healthy spending habits. We all have items or products we have always wanted and buying them when you see it may be unnecessary. A waitlist is a great way to slow things down and make you think about whether you need that item. Once you know you have the money to spend and wish to treat yourself then you should. Just make sure you have the money for whatever is on your wish list and then you can buy it.
Monitor Your Spending
There’s nothing wrong with being critical of your spending habits. At the end of the day, it is your money and if you have certain things you need to pay for, you must ensure you are well in check.
Monitoring your spending habits is another way to improve your mindful spending. Review what you are spending money on each month. For example, you could be treating yourself to breakfast each month. That money could add up and have been spent elsewhere on something more important.
When you are reviewing your spending each week, look at everything. If you see a monthly subscription you no longer use then you can cancel it. All of a sudden, you have £10 to spend each month.
Use Technology To Do All of The Hard Work For You
Do you remember when you used to put money into your savings account or pay off a debt you owe? Now, technology does that for you. It can free up some extra headspace so you don’t need to worry about transferring money to your debtors.
All you need to do is set up an automation that transfers money towards your debt and then you don’t need to worry about it. All you need to do is create a direct debit for the day after you’re paid each month. If you are paid weekly, create a direct debit after that day instead.
Keep Yourself Educated
Something else which you need to do is to keep yourself educated as this is great for self-improvement. There is no such thing as being over-educated when it comes to finances. It is very good for your mental well-being. Read books on the psychology of money and how to change your spending habits. All of this is good for your finances and for your mental well-being.
There are financial laws which are changing and could affect your finances. Maybe national insurance is increasing or your council tax is reducing. No matter what it is, you must keep up with the latest news about finances and search for new methods to improve your wealth.
Start Making a Savings
One of the best habits you can develop is creating a savings account. This is essential, especially if you want to improve your wealth.
It is easy to create a savings account these days as well. All you need to do is use your mobile banking app and you can create one there. There are other mobile banking apps where you can create a savings pot or even an ISA. With some of these apps, you can create and invest with them such as Plum and Emma. Both of these are great for helping to improve your savings and generate more wealth by doing very little. In some cases, this can be the same app where you pay off your debts.
Understand Your Spending Habits
This is one of the more important things to do when improving your financial habits. We all have our trigger points when it comes to spending money. Maybe you are doing nothing on the weekend so you decide to go shopping. For other people, they may have had a bad day in the office and decided to go shopping to make their day better. If this sounds like you then you need to change that.
Identifying your spending habits can be difficult because you are in denial about it. Nonetheless, once you have found that trigger point, swap shopping with something that will be more beneficial. For example, instead of going to the shops to brighten your day. Consider going to the gym or on a country walk. Both of these are far more beneficial to your physical and mental health. If you don’t need that tattoo cream and you’re only buying it because it is on offer then don’t save that money for another day when you do need it.
To Conclude
As you can see, there are many ways to improve your mindful spending by incorporating healthy financial habits. None of these will cost you any more money and will help you save money.
It is believed that 46% of people in debt also have a mental health problem. Improving your wealth is a great way to improve your mental health and helps put yourself first. Don’t be afraid to set financial goals so you can treat yourself now and then. Refer back to that wish list you created and treat yourself to something you can now afford. That will make you want to stick to budgeting even more because it results in a reward.