I bought a new bed yesterday. Well, a bed and a mattress.
And I imagine you wonder why I am telling you this… so let me jump right into it.
The last time I bought a mattress I paid with a credit card and that purchase put me over my limit (because I had no idea what my balance was) and resulted in all sorts of additional fees. Back then I had no financial awareness at all. I had no budget. When I needed to buy something, like a mattress, that was beyond my scope of normal everyday purchases I usually put that thing on a credit card. I put a lot of things on credit back then. But that time was different. That moment of going over my limit, and my shock about it, opened my eyes to my financial blindness. This was the beginning of my healing journey around money.
I was an underearner, an overspender and very deeply in debt. As is my way, I turned to books for help. I picked up a book called How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously by Jerrold Mundis. The book introduced led me to Spenders and Debtors Anonymous, a 12 step group modelled after Alcoholics Anonymous, but for money issues. I joined a local chapter, where I learned so many things. I learned how to track my spending to know what my true expenses were. I carried a small notepad with me and for every purchase I would write down what I bought and how much I spent. Spending was with cash only (Rule #1 of SDA- just for today, do not incur any new debt). Later in the day, I would enter and categorize all my expenditures into a spreadsheet. Slowly, I learned what my costs truly were for me to live my life. Armed with that information, I learned how to budget. I learned how to live within my means.
Were you taught how to handle money when growing up? I remember being taught how to write a check in grade school but do not recall ever being taught how budget or spend wisely. I picked up a lot of messages about money growing up, very few of them helpful. Thankfully I finally did learn, though it was a slow journey for me, taking years learning the money skills needed to move from struggling to surviving. The, I spent more years learning the mind skills that would take me from surviving to thriving.
Which bring me to the present. We (hubby and I) went shopping for a new mattress (a king, rather than a queen… gotta have room for the two of us and the bed-hog puppy!) and a bed for the mattress. Happily, we manifested from really good deals. I confess we spent more than I had planned for (and we paid with a credit card). But it’s okay, because we are debt free and there is plenty of money in the budget- I’ll just need to shuffle things around a bit and at the end of the month the card will be paid in full. Things have changed SO much and it feels SO good. From shopping, to purchasing, to delivery there has not been one second of anxiety, panic or fear… all states I used to experience nearly every day. Now, money is abundantly available and just is there for me when I need and want it.
My greatest desire is that others learn faster than I did to experience money as joyful and abundance, which is why I started Divine Money Matters. There will be more conversations about money. We’ll talk about mindset and manifesting. And the meaning of life, too. Because while money is not the meaning of life, it sure can make life more meaningful (you know, having the freedom to pursue your passions and purpose).
Welcome to Divine Money Matters. I’m so glad you’re here!