6 Ways To Be Financially Consistent and Promote Change

Hey guys!

If you're anything like me consistency can be a struggle. For me, I'm all or nothing. I love dreaming about what I want. I'll sit down create a plan and start strong. Then, I honestly can't tell you what happened, but at some point along the way I found myself trying to figure out where and why I stopped progressing. When I started my financial journey it started with debt, and a lot of it. At first, I was so emotionally overwhelmed by the thought of how long it would take me to pay it off. I remember sitting down ready to sign up for a mission trip with my church.  As I was reviewing the trips offered I realized the amount for all of the trips didn't even add up to the debt I owed.  

After some time, I realized paying off debt for decades to come was not going to be my story. I had to do something! I needed to get a plan and get consistent. A fire started in me and things just started going. I researched, created goals, and just piled what I felt was all the information I needed to conquer the mountain I was facing. 

I decided I wasn't going to let my debt stop me and whatever I needed to do to travel at least once a year I was going to do just that. I decided to have some faith and commit to paying my debt and go to a mission trip to Peru. I worked and counted my pennies. The trip was such a blessing to me and I knew traveling was a huge motivation for me. As I paid down my debt I continued to find ways to do what I love. I kept consistent with paying my debt, made some sacrifices with my spending, and prioritized travel. As my consistency grew over time with paying off my debt so did my opportunity to keep traveling. Starting, I never would have thought that it was possible, but I was able to pay off my debt and travel.

Before a boat ride to a village on the Amazon River in Peru

All of us have some form of consistency. Even if it is consistently inconsistent. My financial life changed when I developed consistency and saw how it could improve my money. 

Here are 6 ways to be financially consistent and promote change with your money.

1. Knowing your Why:

When you think about what you want for your financial life there is probably a reason why you want it. If you can't think of a reason then I will dare to say it's probably not important to you. Not only knowing what you want but why you want it will help you get through the ups and downs of your financial journey. When distractions come or what seems like a better opportunity arises, you will be able to stay focused and push through.

As I started paying my debt, an opportunity to travel would come up. I knew my priority was paying off my debt and if I was going to take trips during this time I needed to make a way. The opportunity came up to get more hours at work and therefore I got to travel. There were trips I had to say no to. When it was time to say no cause I didn't have the money, honestly it was crushing, but it didn't hold me back. I knew why I needed to get out of debt and therefore saw every time I said no to something more like a later. 

When it's time to say no, stay determined, and even when you just don't see the point, understanding your why can allow you to remember what it is all about.  Doubt and negative emotions are a huge part of the journey. Being consistent builds motivation to overcome our emotions and distractions.

2. Small Actionable Goals:

Making a small actionable goal is great, especially for budgeting or dealing with large amounts of money (like debt or savings goals). Instead of asking what step can I take today, ask what can I do for one week or one month. Giving yourself small challenges or goals will allow you to see that change is possible and even see the progress you made in that time. We all have habits that have developed with our spending. Making small changes to your financial behaviors allows you to see what works and what doesn't. Let's develop habits that help you towards your goals. 

Some Small Actionable Goals:

Saving a small amount per week for one month to start an emergency fund  (I started with $5)

Commit to paying a bill earlier than the due date to help pay bills on time

Decide to not spend any money for one day (or more) in the week

Commit to paying a small amount extra to your debt

Create a checklist of your bills and due dates to start organizing your budget

Checking your transactions once a week or your statement to get to know your spending 

Logging in to check your debt accounts biweekly to face your debt and begin taking responsibility

Write down the total of how much you spent, saved, or invested every week or month

3. Accept Change

Life is not linear. As we go through our journey, we will find some things start to work differently or not at all. When change occurs or what you thought would work is no longer, take time to think through why your goals are important to you and what are your priorities for the season you are in. Financial consistency may look different in different seasons. What's most important is that movement, no matter how small, is happening and you are giving yourself grace for what you can do. 

4. Visuals:

Visuals are not only a great reminder but also can help you stay consistent by tracking where you are with reaching your goals. During my debt pay-off journey, I used Debt Pay Off Charts to help me keep track of how much debt I paid off and to remind myself to make payments. Consistently making payments began to make me feel tangible progress. Even at times when I felt like I wasn't moving forward I could easily see how much I had accomplished and could "buy in" on the belief that it was possible to tackle a large amount of money. 

One of my debt charts for my student loans

5. Accountability:

Accountability can be a game changer, especially if you struggle with pride like me. For me, I didn't give all the details. I would share that I was trying to make some changes to my finances and pay off some debt. That really simple statement kept me accountable when sharing with others. I refused to say I was trying to make changes and then spend absurdly.  In my head, I didn't want my friends asking why I was spending so much if I was trying to change. I also knew if I started with I wanted to change something, I wanted there to be a day when I told them I did it (definitely struggled with pride). Accountability is taking responsibility for where you are and what you are doing. Whether you need people to know everything or just a general idea, it helps. 

Finances can be a very private matter for some, but having accountability can help you be consistent with your financial goals. If you have someone you can trust and share with, do it! Tell them what your goals are and check in to let them know how it's going. But, it does not have to be you sharing all your personal information with someone. Not everyone has to know your details, but even taking ownership of where you are can help you. 

6. Check-in:

At some point in your journey, it will probably be a good idea to check-in. This is so you don't look up one day and say "Oh yeah, what happened with that?". Setting reminders, on your calendar, for example, is a great way to keep consistent with your financial progress. In reality, life happens, we get distracted, or find out that one way doesn't work. Checking in with yourself allows you to see if you have fallen off or been steady. It's also a great time to do a quick reflection on if you want to keep to your goals or add/subtract something. If you see you haven't been consistent with what you wanted checking in can be used to find another method or way to get you moving forward again. It's like a mini commitment to not give up! 

In conclusion

Being consistent with our finances is key to developing discipline, staying motivated, and reaching financial goals. It takes time for sure, but is well worth it. Think about what financial changes you want and how they would affect your life if they came to fruition. Consistency is not about how long something takes to accomplish. Nor what you are doing compared to someone else. Learning more about yourself and what works best for you will keep you moving in the right direction. That is what makes your financial journey, YOURS!