Fall in Love With Your Finances This Valentine’s Day

I was selecting a Valentine’s Day card this week with literally dozens of people shopping near me. I was wondering if any of these people gave as much thought to their finances as much as their gift and card selections for Valentine’s Day?

Were any of these people “in love” with their finances? It gave me an idea for an article.

As I was standing there selecting a card for my wife, it dawned on me that I’ve never written a Valentine’s Day article.

Why not? I really don’t know why. So this year I thought a Valentine’s Day article would be appropriate.

I have racked my brain on how to get these two subjects together without repeating the same old financial advice. So here it goes.

Here’s how to Fall in Love With Your Finances This Valentine’s Day:

1. Don’t ignore your finances. You shouldn’t ignore your love relationships, and you shouldn’t ignore your finances. If you ignore people you love they will stop caring about you. The same goes with your little green friend. Make the commitment this Valentine’s Day that you will start paying closer attention to your money. Do you overspend habitually? Then develop a budget or use a credit card that categorizes your purchases, so you can see where it goes. Take the time to understand your money and why save or spend the way you do.

2. Educate yourself about your finances. Personally, if you are not a subscriber to this blog, then you should start here. I’m a little biased of course! But seriously, there are some really good articles about personal finance and investing on The Diligent Advisor. My suggestion here is to start reading. Read as many books, blogs and web sites about personal finance that you can get your hands on. Don’t get caught up with all the other stuff in life. Your relationship with money will suffer. My wife has a phrase she likes to use with my oldest son that is 22. When he makes a mistake that costs some money, she says, “being stupid costs more.” She’s right. Not being educated about money will cost you more money.

3. Spend purposefully. What I mean here is to make every purchase one that you want to make. Think about the money you spend. Did it further my purpose in life? Did it make me happy? Or did I buy it to cheer myself up? When you spend money make sure it is for the things that make you happy. Spend with a purpose. You’ll fall in love with your finances all over again if you do.

4. Love the one you’re with. So goes the line from the song. Part of falling in love with your finances is being content with what you have. Don’t spend like you make more money than you do. Live within your means. Less stress equals more harmony with your finances. That will lead you back to loving your finances.

Remember, don’t ignore that special someone in your life. This Valentine’s Day do something unique, fall in love with your finances all over again. You’ll be happier for it. Follow my advice in #2 and subscribe here for free! Happy Valentine’s Day!