In January 2018 I started my first big girl job. My new job came with a ton of changes. The first few months of my big girl job I had very few bills (very very few) and I was making more money than I had ever made before. Honestly, I was living every 20 year old’s dream. However, the fact is I graduated with a little over $25,000 worth of student loan debt in my grace period and around $2,600 worth of credit card debt. Thanks to my generous parents I was living without a rent payment for the duration of my college apartment lease. I was bringing home well over $2,000 a month with bills that totaled less than $200 and I still found myself scraping to get by. It was the perfect opportunity to save some serious cash or completely pay off my credit card and start tackling my student loans, but instead, I blew it. 

Besides the furniture in my apartment, and all the times I ate out for lunch (almost every day for a few months), I can’t tell you where the rest of that money went. This was the first time I was getting paid once a month and ya girl was struggling. I was blowing money at the beginning of the month only to be borrowing money at the end. I was spending money at Chipotle and Marshall’s almost every week (okay but seriously Chipotle was almost an everyday thing for me) all in the name of “self care”.  I thought that self care looked a lot like the picture above: wine, my dog, and blowing money on things that didn’t bring me any joy. My bank account was screaming at me.

 According to Google the definition of self care is “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” I can’t even count how much money I spent on self care in the past few years, well I’m sure I could, but it would be too embarrassing. It wasn’t until I really started to care about my finances and getting out of debt that I realized I was using the idea of self care to make really poor financial decisions. 

Like Google said, self care involves protecting one’s own well-being and happiness and that includes your future self. Future you is impacted by the decisions you make now. Your 20s are where you can set the foundation for your financial future, which is why I’m so committed to getting out of debt and saving as much as I can before I enter my 30s. I know, I know, this isn’t as fun as Lush Bath Bombs, $20 bottles of wine, and binging a Netflix series but it’s just as necessary. 

So next time you’re thinking about self care, think about it in terms of meeting your financial goals. Do you want to pay off debt? Save up for your dream trip or save enough to quit your job? If so, self care for you might look like sacrificing a meal out a week to meet your savings goals or picking up side jobs to make more money to put towards debt. Financial self care requires some sacrifice but you gain so much in the process. Here’s a few things that you gain when you practice self care and get your financial ish together:

Peace of mind

You know that pit in your stomach feeling you get when you have bills to pay? It decreases and for some, it disappears, when you’re on top of your finances. Now that I have a budget and I know where every dollar is going, I don’t dread bills. I’m not saying I love paying bills (I do love paying towards my debt though) but I don’t dread them either. I just pay them and keep it pushing. 

Access to your dreams

Your dream wedding or dream home? They become more in reach when you’re actively working towards those goals financially. People will think you are crazy now because you’re putting away money for these things or trying to pay off debt to free up money but ultimately your money behavior needs to align with your money values. If having a big, well decorated house is something that you value, then you need to be saving and planning. 

A feeling of control

When I wasn’t budgeting, I would feel helpless when my bank account got low. I’d always calculate how many bills I had left and how much money that left me to do basic things like eat and gas up my car. Now that I have a zero based budget, I don’t worry when my checking account gets lower than it was originally, it means that I’m on track with my budgeting and spending. 

No more payday panting

Overly anticipating payday because I’m broke until then reminds me of how my dog pants really loudly because she’s thirsty or hungry. When you’ve made a concentrated effort to spend less than you make and budget, you anticipate payday a lot less. Don’t get me wrong, I love payday still but I’m not surviving off of ramen noodles until then. I can live comfortably and still go out before pay day without worrying about not having any money.

Staying on top of your finances isn’t always easy but know that future you will be grateful for the decisions you make today. I encourage you to make a budget, start saving and come up with a plan to reduce/eliminate your debt, you’ll be glad you did!

Stay Sassy,

Steph