The Importance of Prioritizing Your Bills and Having Financial Discipline

Do you ever wonder how do people keep control of their finances? Like how is it even possible to have your financial life orgainzed with all of your bills and prices changing every week? Well a similar way of thinking about how to organize your finances is what we like to call budgeting, organization just always sounds more spicier. That being said, one of the very first steps you want to consider when organizing your finances is creating that separation between what are the things you need and what are the things you want. It’s also very important to keep in mind how much your gross income is. You don’t want to spend more than your budget will allow. Because then, well you know, then you’ll be in some trouble. You want your finances to be organized and run like a well oiled machine. 

After considering how much you make, what bills have to be paid, and what your personal desires are, it’s time for the fun part! I say fun, because this is where you’ll be negotiating your budget! Haha. I know it sounds weird, but me and my finances actually have conversations! It’s what helps the both of us make sure that we’re walking that fine line that needs to be walked. If you know what I mean. In the process of negotiating your budget, you spend time looking at what portion of the finances can’t be touched. This will also allow you the opportunity to find any financial wiggle room if it exists. For an example, hypothetically let’s just say I get paid 1,200 dollars every two weeks and my bills are 600 dollars every two weeks. Well it’s a no brainer that my bills have to be paid. But the good news is, I’m left with 600 remaining dollars every two weeks, meaning that I can negotiate my wants and see what things I can afford to purchase now, opposed to what I may need to hold out on. 

Look at it like this, I may have a birthday coming up soon, but I also made plans to have fun and explore my city like a tourist for the weekend. The two can most likely still co-exist but I may have to make a few minor adjustments. Initially I may have wanted to get an Airbnb or a hotel for the weekend, but doing that would cost 300 dollars; which doesn’t even include my activities for that weekend. Well the good news is, I live near the city! So to cut down on expenses, I decide to not get an Airbnb but rather stay home and just plan my activities out that way which makes it cheaper for me. My activities cost less than the Airbnb or hotel would’ve cost so I’ve automatically cut back on my expenses, leaving me room to have more money for my birthday!

Being able to create this area where I can cut back on expenses is a HUGE WIN! Because now I can get a new outfit, shoes, my hair and nails done and also have room for my birthday festivities. That was such a successful way to organize my finances. Or on the flip side of this, if I know that I have a want that is pretty costly, then I can figure out a way to organize my finances over a specific time period instead of spending all of it at once. It’s important to note that the best way to be a great organizer, is to make sure you don’t overspend and you do everything within reason. 

Lastly, something that has helped me stay out of trouble over the years, is DISCIPLINE. My friends, being able to gain discipline might be THE most important tip there is. Because if you lack discipline, there will be no organization. You have to be able to weigh the checks and balances even when it comes to considering the things that you want. It is imperative to remember this because we all can understand that what we want at any given time, may not be exactly what we need. For an example, you may be someone, like I used to be, who would get their nails done every time they got paid. Well over time, your bills get bigger and your expenses become greater, which led me to realize that sacrificing the things you want for the things you need, can put you in a much better place than where you started. And it doesn’t always mean you have to sacrifice completely. What I mean by that is, If I know that my oil needs changing, I need new tires, and I need a tune up, well I may have to sacrifice getting the latest MacBook that I had been dreaming about. What I can do instead is pay for those things that I need and then maybe treat myself to a spa package which is so rewarding if I do say so myself and MUCH more cheaper than a MacBook! 

We have to sacrifice sometimes and that’s okay, but once you organize and prioritize your finances, along with maintaining good financial discipline, you will start to see more money staking up in your account from how much you are saving. And I don’t know about you but if I am saving more long term, that sounds like a way that I can still get the things that I originally wanted in the first place! So stay disciplined my friends, I promise it will pay off!