Financial Empowerment Blog
Do you feel that all you do is work to pay bills and die? Are you looking for some pleasures in life? What are your hobbies? Does it cost you money? It is impossible to have hobbies that do not cost money, however, like everything, there has to be balance.
Most of us have a negative image of budgeting. Learning to manage, save and spend money within a budget, will help you make good decisions throughout your lifetime. It will also help you prioritize what is truly important to you. Being in charge of your spending means you are in control. Budgeting is peace of mind.
Coming out of the pandemic and dealing with the high cost of food, gas and other products affected by the supply chain; knowing what type of lifestyle we value is extremely important. How do you pass a rainy day? If you are looking to try new ideas
Here are a few suggestions of some hobbies that may not cost too much money to get started:
Write A Themed List, And Work Through It
I am not talking about the “projects “around the house that need to be completed. Let's explore the fun things we would like to do. Start by making a list of things you want to do or see. It could be anything from films you want to watch to local places you want to visit. A lot of museums now have a virtual tour. You can have your feet here and be taken into the world of ancient Rome or tour a zoo. Let your imagination soar.
Learn How To Cook
Cooking is a useful life skill as well as a fun way to spend your time. You can find free cooking course on YouTube and similar websites. As an added bonus plan a theme night including costume and decorations.
Build A Kite
If the weather is appropriate, kite-building can be a fun and rewarding hobby to pick up, and you can find many useful websites online to help you.
Try Geocaching
Geocaching is a fascinating and exciting hobby that costs very little, all you need is a GPS capable device....i.e....your phone. There are many adventures to go on though geocaching. Get to know your neighborhood from a fresh set of eyes.
Since we are in a global down turn we need to take inventory of our life and decide what our lifestyle should be. What hobbies do you have and do they require money to accomplish? I would encourage you to take inventory. Am I able to balance my hobbies so that I have something fun to do whether I have money or not.
How you spend your money matters.
What can the kaleidoscope of financial empowerment do for you?
I have always loved kaleidoscopes and I love seeing the most brilliant colors and interesting patterns.
The kaleidoscope, with its ever-changing lights, colors and various shapes represents unlimited views, opportunities and the release of blocked creativity. When our executive director came to me with the idea of using Kaleidoscope as our new name I felt a smile begin in my tummy. Not only is it a fun word but to me it represents who we serve as a community.
For most of us, our lives have not been a straight line. We have many different pieces that do not fit into text book thinking but yet all these experiences have created the life we now have. It is easy to think we are not smart enough or have the right education. Yet these little broken pieces have given us experiences and lessens on how not to do it.
The way you see through your kaleidoscope of life, determines so much in respect to your own happiness, freedom, wealth and success.
It is what you decide to ‘see’ in the view.
What do you see through your kaleidoscope of life? Do you need to twist it and look through it again to see something better? Something you couldn’t see before.
Does your kaleidoscope contain something you don’t like to see? When it comes to change we must face the truth. Here are a few steps to follow to help you change your financial empowerment kaleidoscope:
Step #1) Identify what is the problem? We cannot change what we do not know. Most of our Money Matters clients identify not having enough money or fear of not enough as the #1 problem.
What is the picture you see in your kaleidoscope?
Step #2) Ask yourself what the opposite of your problem? What would it look like if you had enough. Be reasonable, you are not going to change your bank balance overnight. Remember, you have the same ingredients; you just have to learn to make a different cake.
Allow yourself the possibility to see something different in your kaleidoscope.
Step #3) Make up your mind! Having a mindset that I can change how I manage my money will speed up the process. Giving up or thinking I am just not good with money will not lead to financial wellness. Be kind to yourself. Finances are able to heal and growth and progress can be seen within a few months.
Can you look through the kaleidoscope and see a new pattern?
What about you? Are you going to take another look?
A different possibility. A different truth. Perhaps even a different view ahead. A glimpse of light. A glimmer of hope. Will be posted soon, stay tuned!
Inflation simply means things are becoming more expensive. The supply and demand balance are out of whack and we cannot change that. Sigh. We have seen downturns in our economy in the past and experience does tell us that they do pass. We do need to weather the storm. During these times we need to adjust expectations and either make more money or adjust our budgets to accommodate our priorities.
Here are a few tips that may help you through the rough patch:
1. Don't just show up to the grocery store - give yourself a budget.
Decide beforehand how much you will spend per month. It is a known fact that if we send people to the grocery store with cash they actually spend less. Cash creates enough fear that you don’t want to get to the check out and not have enough, so you spend less.
One trick I have used in the past when things are tight is to break down my budget amounts into weekly budgets. Getting less food more often provides a small refreshment and reduces the anxiety that we will run out of food.
2. Meal Plan
Decide beforehand what meals you're going to make. Sit down and take inventory of what you have in the house and how it can be used in a meal this week. Then check the flyers or specials for the week and then fill in the blanks. By having a plan, you also provide yourself with a few less “What's for supper?” from the family.
3. Online Grocery shopping or consider joining a food purchasing club.
Online grocery shopping is super nice because you can see the running budget as you buy your groceries - and pick up is super convenient! You can also keep a running cart; if you run out of something add it to your cart for next week.
Food purchasing clubs are available in most areas. If you are here in Saint John, I would recommend the produce purchasing club that is run out of St. Joes. They offer 2 price points, $15.00 and $25.00. The amount received is way more than you could purchase at the store. For more information check out their Facebook page Saint John Food Purchasing Club.
4. Be consistent
Meal plan and order groceries the same day each week, so you don't get desperate. During lean times having a routine and sticking to the plan will reduce your anxiety and give you peace of mind. Your family will soon learn the routine.
Consistency pays.
No matter how small or large your mountain of money is how you spend it matters. If you have questions please reach out to me at 
darlene@kaleidoscopeimpact.com.