When you finally SEE your money, you get to visit your boyfriend overseas...

Many years ago I recall talking to a friend about her boyfriend. She was feeling pretty bummed because her boyfriend and her were doing the long distance relationship thing and it was really hard. She was hoping to go visit him but she said she couldn't afford it. When she said that I thought to myself - that doesn't compute. I knew she made a good income, she owned a condo but shared the payments with family, her company paid for her car, and she spent a massive amount of money on clothes, food, and going out. I told her I felt like she should be able to afford to go see her boyfriend and asked her if she would let me help her find the money. She was skeptical but agreed.

We went through the budget template I developed, more or less the same one I use with my clients today. We added in her income, her necessary expenses (mortgage, gas, groceries, utilities, phone bill, etc.) and noted what was left over. We then went through her bank statements and got a rough idea of how much money she was spending on clothes, eating out, Starbucks etc. What she saw was that by dialing back the spending (honestly, not even by that much), and setting a specific amount aside each month, she would be able to go visit her boyfriend in just a few months without putting any strain on her finances whatsoever. The money was always there but because she didn't see it and she just knew there was never much left in her bank account after paying off her Visa she just assumed that her financial situation was fixed.

Our financial situations are often not fixed and I can assure you that she was FAR happier knowing she was going to be able to go visit her boyfriend than she would have been buying another pair of jeans and another half decent lunch because she didn't feel like making her own. When we prioritize what we value we are more than happy to redirect money in its direction and often feel relief in having a reason to stop spending where on what we don't value.

This instance, helping my friend in this way, may be one of the cornerstones to why Finlotus exists today.

Oh and by the way, my friend and that boyfriend are now married and have a child, so yah, I would say it was worth a few small spending tweaks in the end.

What might be possible for you and your life if you prioritize your money for spending on what matters most?