Oh, I can see it so clearly. I was young, fabulous, and full of dreams. Those few years of young adulthood without kids when my money habits were unstoppable and everything was mine and I did what I wanted was glorious. Can you picture your good ole days, sis? Errrrr! That’s over.
News Flash: If you are going to thrive and not just survive, you’ve got to break some single life and money habits. No worries. I’m here to help.
If you can grasp these 5 tips which can be temporary until you balance out what is what, you’ll feel better and actually survive this new life. I know it ain’t right and you didn’t plan this. I know you have a million feels going on but stay with me. Retail therapy is not gonna fix this. The way you win mama is to THRIVE anyway. Read on for what I wish I knew when I started out where you are now.
1. You can’t keep eating out daily.
I just lived it up single. Outback Steakhouse with friends. That was my stuff. This was almost 20 years ago so we were glad to every Friday spending money. If I had said 1 weekend a month and bought stock with the rest, I’d be on my yacht right now. Think about it. 20 years of investing in good and bad seasons. (Where is the duh emoji when you need it?) But I learned, and I want to help you not be me Mama, put those coins to good use.
2. You need to save something every week
Speaking of my hint at investing, you need to save something weekly. One dollar adds up. I wrote a post on different things you can do to save. Read it here.
When I finally grasped that I could save something small and still pay my bills, baby! And don’t let me follow Dave Ramsey (daveramsey.com) (which I did/do) and pay off some debt and get an emergency fund started. Sis, all of this is possible. You must see differently and do accordingly. Save your change and it will add up.
3. You cannot buy on sight right now.
Tame that inner spender. A budget is your friend. I buy seasonally, and I shop for sales. Now, I buy quality things that last me instead of going the lowest price for 1 season of wear. We gotta use our coins wisely sis. Consider the quality of sale and take care of it. Mix and match your old pieces. Follow my friends Leah Frazier (inspirenstyle.com) and Leah the Creative (thriftbossshop.com) for some fashion tips.
4. Say NO.
Your single friends love you but don’t have your responsibility. Can I tell you how rich I would be had I known and done this when I started out? Say No, sis! You are now thinking of you and your family. If you get child support or not, we both know that doesn’t cover all you have to pay for, so live wisely. Covet those coins and stack them.
Ask yourself, “Is this the highest and best use of my money right now?” Some things are good but not at the moment. No is a whole sentence. They understand. Or will when they see you winning! Be honest and let them help you.
Sidebar: Sometimes you will want to live and splurge. Go ahead girl if you got it! But remember, not at the expense of your family, tent, or peace of mind.
5. Know what you’re doing before you do it
You must create a roadmap for your life. It looks different now than you planned, do spend some time resetting your goals, assessing where you are, and utilizing your resources to build. In order to use your coins wisely and break those money habits, you must be aware of your total picture. Don’t avoid it. Face it! Check out the life plan I created for amazing single moms like you.
Well, I’m keeping it real as a mom who’s been broke, hungry, and almost homeless a couple of times. Crap happens. It’s life. Following these tips will help you avoid some pitfalls that got me. But I bounced back though. You will, too. Keep your head up and keep pushing. And if you want to know how to level up your coins, I got you covered right here. Download my FREE ebook “9 Ways to Save Money as a Single Mom.” And share it, sis! Sharing is caring darling. And I want us all to WIN!
Did you enjoy today’s post? What do you think about the tips above? Have you tried some of these? Sound off in the comments. Let’s chat!
