Welcome to Gentle Reminders, a podcast where we accept that all of us have our foolish moments, our beautiful moments and it’s all okay because those moments make us human, sharing this experience of life together. Today, we’re going to be chattin’ money. All those dolla dolla bills. Or not. Late January and early February is when our holiday bills start rolling in and, as much as we hate to admit it to ourselves, we kinda did this to ourselves. Hey, I wanna be clear that gentle reminders are also a bit of tough love. Because I do love you and want you to be your very best.
A year ago, Equifax reported that the average Canadian had a debt of $71,300. To me, that’s incredible. I’ve been learning about money and different aspects of money since I was little and today I’d like to share a quote with you from the author who helped me get my head on straight about money.
Gail Vaz-Oxlade is the author of multiple books, a mother and a straight shooter. I cried when I met her and she is a great hugger. The quote we’re going to focus on today is from her and here it is:
“But money, which is something everybody has to deal with in their life, and it’s no more emotional than the paper and coin of which it’s made. Paper and coin is not emotional.”This quote reminds me of three lessons I’ve had to learn about money:
Money is a tool. Just like a hammer or chair. Money is something that I needed to learn how to use and, once I understood how to use it, I can use in the right situation, for the right problem and in the right manner.
Spending and saving money is a habit. It’s very likely that you’ll “fail” at some point. It’s likely that you’ll splurge on something or go over a budget. We all do this. As humans, we aren’t great with habits right off the bat, so forgive yourself, give yourself some slack and keep going with the good habits.
When you spend your money according to your values, you will be happier. I’m not giving a money back guarantee or anything, because happiness is individual. When I’ve spent money against my values or on something that didn’t actually benefit me long term – I was disappointed, I was mad at myself for wasting my money. In the last few years, my husband and I have made an annual budget according to our values and it is way easier to track and stick to because we know where the money is going and that’s where we want it to go.
Wherever you are on your money journey, know you’re not alone. I think there are so many BS taboos around talking about money and it puts an obscene amount of pressure on ourselves and our friends, especially when we get offended that someone just can’t afford something that we want them to take part in. Even if that thing is as small as a coffee. Hanging out at home and making a coffee or tea is just as fun and is a bit more intimate! There are a lot of different bloggers and authors out there who have taken on the money challenge and I am thankful to them for sharing their knowledge. Some of my favourites are:
The Financial Diet – “This is the place where (hopefully) you will start talking about money for the first time in a way that doesn’t feel scary, judgmental, or boring as hell. We have thousands of articles that you should read about everything from investing on a budget to what foods are really worth the organic price tag” – then they make a few recommendations on where to start on their site. Their insta and podcast are also on fire!
Gail Vaz Oxlade – as mentioned earlier, any of her books are my lifeline.
David Bach – Not all of his stuff. The Latte Factor is a quick read and we’re currently working through “Smart Couples Finish Rich”.
Check out one of these recommendations and let me know what you think! I would love to hear from you on the platform that makes the most sense to you! I’m on Instagram (@gentlereminderspodcast), Twitter (@realGRpodcast) and email at gentlereminderspodcast@gmail.com.
