Vickie's Viewpoint

I talked to two people this week who mentioned that they were tired of being nickel and dimed. This reminded me of a coaching client I had years ago.

This hard-working mother of four children felt shame that she couldn’t give her children more. So we poured over her budget and I learned that every night she was buying fast food for dinner.

Clearly she was nickel and diming her money away. And the habit was costly in other ways. She was overweight and two of her children also were getting chubby. Easy fix, right? Tell the mother to stop the nightly drive-thru runs. But she worked long hours and coming home to cook – her least favorite thing to do –wasn’t likely something she would stick with very long.

Instead, we returned to the issue of what she wanted her money to do for her: provide more for her children. I asked if she had millions of dollars what would she do for her kids. With no hesitation she answered, “Take them to Disneyland.”

I suggested she call a family meeting and ask her kids if they had a choice between Disneyland and eating fast food every night which they would choose. They chose Disneyland, which meant that everyone, including the 4-year-old, was responsible for saving for it.

Each family member, including her husband, was responsible for cooking one dinner a week. You realize for the two younger kids, that meant many nights of  cooking peanut butter and jelly and macaroni and cheese.

Whatever was leftover from their food budget that week was put in a piggy bank until they had what they needed.

Eight months later, the family went to Disneyland.

Here’s Some of the Benefits of Going for Their Dream…

Everyone in the family…

• Learned how to budget and save for what they wanted.
• Worked as a team.
• Bonded with each other over a common goal.
• Learned how to accept responsibility.
• Ate healthier and avoided gaining more weight.
• Built their self-esteem.
• Realized dreams can come true.

So often we put ourselves on auto pilot and nickel and dime our money away. Yet, if we would go for our dreams, we would benefit on so many levels.

Learn more about mindful spending, dream budgeting and taking your finances off auto pilot by clicking here for a FREE recording of Vickie Champion’s Avoid the Money Madness! Workshop.

It’s one of those mysteries of life, a question everyone has asked in their adult life: “Where did all the money go?” Especially now with finances so tight, it seems your bank account is shrinking at an alarming rate.

And, as that balance gets smaller, the bills seem to come in faster and faster. You never have quite enough to cover everything, and then – WHAM! One of those surprise expenses hits you and sucks away all the savings you have left.

You are frustrated, scared, and in need of help. Frankly, you need a miracle, right? Well, it may come as a surprise to realize that YOU have the power to make that miracle for yourself!

The one thing you can do right now to drastically turn your finances around it is to make a budget and stick to it.

Budgets are not some form of accounting torture. In reality, budgets provide you with a source of motivation, take away fear and guilt, and build your confidence and self esteem. Click here to learn 38 Miracles a Budget Can do for You!

I cannot express strongly enough the positive power of creating a comprehensive budget for yourself. It may seem like such a simple thing, yet most people simply brush it aside. However, I promise you that if you create both a budget and the habit of sticking to it, you will steadily see your finances improve, your peace of mind grow, and your dreams come true. You will have your miracle!

You can contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.

I have been working with my latest client, a newly single Mom. We have only had a couple of coaching sessions, but I already recognize symptoms of several of the most common money problems:

• Overspending money on her son to relieve her guilt over her deadbeat ex
• Knows what budgeting is all about but never took it seriously
• Has a hard time controlling her impulse spending
• Nickel and dimes her money away on quick fixes instead of saving up for what she really wants and needs
• Accepts financial help from her Mom, but feels lousy about it
• Is way too generous with her friends, and ends up resenting them for it

No matter what angle we approached her situation from, all the symptoms came down to this one cause: she doesn’t know what her own dreams are. Well, actually she did have one, but she honestly didn’t think she deserved to have it!

Are you like this lady? Do you feel stuck in the mud, with no direction to go and no way to get there if you did?

Here are some things you can do to get yourself kick started:

1. Write a list of 50 things you would like to do, be, or have – no matter how crazy they may sound. This helps motivate you to break old habits, and to be happier.
2. Make and follow a budget. Budgets are not a form of medieval torture, but are a planning tool for getting your dreams.
3. Whenever you feel the urge to impulse buy, slow down! Give yourself a chance to think about it so you can have a choice: do you want a quick fix or dream come true?
4. Be an example for your children, family, friends, whoever you hold dear. Show them how to make dreams come true!

Once you know what your dreams are, you will know how much you can buy and how much you need to save. So, dream away and just go for it!

You can contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary coaching and consulting session.