Grab your wallet. Open it. See what’s inside. Does it spark joy?
Sometimes, you find yourself filled with financial regret. As much as you liked that one last big purchase you made, in the end, it made you feel guilty, remembering that you could’ve used that money towards something more practical. You could’ve probably bought something that can last for a long time, or maybe got it for a better deal instead. Regrets will only muddy up your mind, so why not breathe, relax, and declutter your financial plan?
The KonMari method was developed by lifestyle guru Marie Kondo, known for her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and her Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. While it’s used for cleaning your home, contacts book or your Facebook friends list, this show can also teach you something about managing your money. Here’s how you can spark joy in your finances.
Commit Yourself to Tidying Up (Your Budget)
Budgeting your money requires a whole new mindset to work with. You’re breaking a routine of continuously spending your hard-earned salary haphazardly. You’re going to have to make compromises, find that you need to put your money on things that are more important. You need to commit yourself to improving your financial health, otherwise, you’ll just fall back into your old routines when you get your next paycheck.
Discard the Things That Make Your Expenses Bigger
But don’t forget to thank them for what they’ve brought to you. Sometimes, what makes your bills so expensive is the subscriptions you constantly pay but don’t use as much. It’s like having a Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ subscription, but you only use Netflix. Or you have a gym subscription but you don’t go to the gym as often as you like. Pay for something that you can use for a long time and cancel the stuff that doesn’t give you your money’s worth. If you’ve been paying for mortgage for your Kentucky home, ask about your options for refinance in Bowling Green so you can save up more.
Organize Your Budget According to Category
The best way to make your budget understandable and easy to do is to organize it according to category. For example: savings, emergency funds, food, home supplies, utility bills, mortgage payments, subscriptions, things to buy in the future, credit card bills and taxes. Track religiously which of the bills need paying, which supplies need restocking and which items can you still leave out until the next month. Pay or purchase according to priority, for example, leaving some savings and emergency fund first, then pay bills and mortgage.
This way, you’ll see how much your money goes into the payments of every category, letting you find which items aren’t worth the upkeep.
Does Your Budget Spark Joy?
Take a look at your budget, your current financial health, the remaining stuff you need to pay, everything after doing the discarding and organizing. Then, ask yourself: “Does it spark joy?” Does your current situation make you happy? If you feel a wave of relief from lifting all that burden and committing yourself to bettering your financial health, then it did made you happy. If you still feel lacking, further adjust your budget until it meets your expectations.
The KonMari method lets you organize your whole life in a very minimalistic lifestyle by letting you let go of the things you don’t need anymore. It won’t compromise the things you love or value the most. Once your financial health sparks you joy, you’ll see how far you’ve come.
