5 Ways To Stay Disciplined With Your Money

I think all of us can agree – money, in general, can be really frustrating sometimes. Over the past two and a half years, I’ve talked to so many readers that are just grinding to get ahead, and they still feel stuck (even if they are killing it).

It’s super easy for “gurus” and personal finance experts to sit on top of the money mountain and shout down our finger wagging “Make sure you invest and pay off debt!” messages to the people that read or listen.

But the reality will always be that it’s way easier said than done, and everyone has a different path to get to where they want to be financially.
Here are five ways you can stay disciplined with your money:
1. Figure out your style

This is huge! There are so many different ways to approach budgeting, investing, debt payoff, etc. The key to picking a good path and actually following through is to do it the way that you want to, not what other people think you should do.

I liken it a lot to learning styles for kids (have to give the former teacher perspective). We all hear about the different learning styles – visual, aural, physical, kinesthetic, etc.

It always amazed me how effective a simple shift in teaching strategy could light a kid’s mind up almost instantly. The same goes for money management and hitting goals. We’re all just big kids after all, right? ?

If you’re an Excel nerd and love getting your hands dirty with every financial detail, incorporate as much of that approach as possible. If you’re like me and need automation to survive, find your favorite app or website and use it religiously.

1. Remove the negative money influences from your life (or at least limit them

Admittedly, this is really really hard. There are so many factors around all of us that influence our money decisions.

“Why are you putting that much towards your debt? You need to live life, you know.“

“You’re a fool for investing in dividend stocks. Real estate is so much better.“

“Your car is really old. You should get a new one you can afford it.”

If someone in your inner circle is bad about hitting you with the above statements, you may need to remove them (harsh I know…but true).

For most people around me that I disagree with, the strategy that I’ve found to be the easiest is just to tune them out completely. I listen to my mentors and trust my research and gut, and that’s pretty much it.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t ever listen to people, but you need to be picky about what type of information or pressure you allow to influence your financial decisions.
3. Surround yourself with winners

After talking to thousands of people now, one factor seems to pop up more than most. People that are sticking to their investing, saving, or debt goals are actively participating in a positive financial community.

Honestly, it could be anything – blogs like this one, church groups, friends that are just really into investing…whatever.

No matter how many sites like mine are out there, money will always be taboo for most of our society. People are embarrassed about where they are right now, they keep their salaries to themselves, and probably try to push a lot of their finances to the back of their mind.

The only reason that I’ve been able to get ahead financially and with my business is by talking about it with other people. That’s it.

1. Take a second to recognize how far you’ve actually come

This is something I have to tell myself daily, and I’m sure a lot of you are the same way. I beat up on myself that the site needs to have MORE growth, I need to invest more, save more, make more – all of it.