Barbara wrote to me about her concerns over not having enough money. Barbara said she is hard-working and friendly and has been working in the service industry for over twenty years. She enjoys working with people and loves her job, but despite all these positives she constantly worries about money. Barbara said she feels as if she will never have enough and doesn't know where all her money goes.
Barbara is beginning to wonder if her concerns about money may be rooted in something else.
People who feel as if they never have enough money often don't know how they are spending their money. Barbara said she doesn't know where it all goes, which leads me to believe that she doesn't have a budget. Often when people are afraid of having too little money they treat their money with very little regard. This can lead to a feeling of even greater insecurity.
When people focus disproportionately on money it is rarely about money at all. Money, despite what our society would like us to believe, is simply a tool. Money does not make us who we are and having a lot of material possessions doesn't mean our life will be more fulfilled. Having more money does not make us a better or happier person. We do need a certain amount of money to live a decent life, but that amount is different for everyone depending on their priorities.
Would it surprise you to find out that Barbara makes $ 80,000.00 CAD a year, plus health benefits? For some people this would be a large salary and for others it would not. But most people in Canada can live a very decent life with Barbara's salary.
So then why is Barbara worried about not having enough? Only Barbara can really know the answer to that question.
Part of being a responsible adult is learning how to make your money do what you want it to. Whether you make $30,000. a year or $250,000., if you don't know how to manage your money you will end up feeling out of control. Barbara needs to take responsibility for her spending habits.
Money is a tool that we can use to help us live our life the way we choose to, but if you neglect your financial life you are neglecting an element of yourself. Money then becomes an entity outside of yourself that you feel you can't control. You feel as if money is actually controlling you--which is completely false.
Barbara needs to itemize all her expenses to see where she spends her money. Once she has that detailed list she can decide if she is spending money needlessly in certain areas. She may end up being surprised to find out how she has actually been spending her money.
This is an important step for Barbara because she will have taken control of an element of her life that she feels has been controlling her for years.
