Key Ingrediant #3-Leavening Agent

Next key ingredient to a mouth-watering spending plane is: The Leavening Agent.

Key ingredient #3 to a winning recipe is- Leavening Agent
You will have some pretty flat cookies without baking soda or baking powder! Just like you’ll have a “flat” spending plan without that leavening agent.

The leavening agents for your budget are the values, dreams, aspirations, people and things that are essential and meaningful to you living fully alive. You identified them in Key ingredient #1-the sweet stuff!

Get your list out (your 3x5 cards or the hearts) and look at how you can tie your leavening agents to the categories of spending you have. For instance most of us have a spending category that covers housing. That can feel like a huge monthly expense that seems to drag on forever. Try tying or labeling your housing category to a value or dream of yours. Example: “My Sanctuary” or “Our Family Safe Haven”.

Here’s another example:
Car Insurance: “Protection when needed”
Debt Reduction: “Future Home” or future (whatever an aspiration or dream you have)

Do this with all of your categories of spending in your budget. Don’t forget to include “spending” of savings, retirement and self care. A well rounded spending plan includes all of the key ingredients of your unique winning recipe. Enjoy!

Key Ingrediant #2-Flour

How did you do with your “sweets” this week? I hope you took more notice of those things that are vital to you having a winning recipe. This key ingredient is really what hold everything together.

Key Ingredient #2 to a winning recipe- Flour
You have to have flour when baking moth watering cookies! The flour gives the cookie shape and holds it all together. The flour represents our money beliefs. Your thoughts and beliefs about money gives shape to your budget.

Here are some common money beliefs I come across when coaching people around their budgets.
“There’s never enough $$, so why bother”
“Budgets are restricting”
“Budgets are a tool to help you become financially free”
“Budgets are freeing”

Can you tell the difference between money beliefs that are empowering or defeating. Just like when baking cookies, if you use the correct amount of flour AND the right kind, the cookies will turn out perfect.

Knowing your money beliefs and how they impact your daily life is empowering and freeing. It will help you enjoy the flavor of life and the intention of a budget.

Here is an some questions that can help you identify your money beliefs:

1. What did your parents think about money? What emotion did they feel when interacting with money?
2. What is your most painful memory with money? What is your most joyful memory around money?
3. What do you do well with money?
4. When you think $$ what do you feel.

As you continue to understand your relationship with money, you can empower yourself to follow a budget that is a winning recipe!