There’s always some superhero/villain origin story when it comes to our complicated behavior or feelings regarding finances. Sometimes it involves unintentionally recreating—or reacting to—how money was handled in our childhood family homes.

Maybe it’s due to a fear of, or experience with, not having quite enough. Perhaps it’s a symptom of some other issue—a desire to feel like you belong, or a brief (and sometimes expensive) escape from a reality you don’t want to acknowledge. Perhaps you’re chronically disorganized or overly controlling. Maybe you just really like buying stuff and get yourself into sticky financial situations as a result. 

Do some serious thinking about what problems you’re having with money and why those issues may have started, and then… this is the good part… forgive yourself. Acknowledge the reason, take accountability for your part in it, let it go and recognize that you’re already doing what it takes to make change that matters. Congrats! 

Now that you’ve done all that, you’re done with that. From now on, you’ll just make a plan for your money and if that plan changes, you’ll just—wait for it—change the plan. No guilt, no regret, no second-guessing. It’s really that easy. Just ask yourself, over and over again, if necessary:

What changes do I need to make, if any?

Flexibility means changing your plan when new priorities arise. The answer to “Who do I want to be?” can change from at-home chef to DoorDash frequent-flyer on the drive home. And that’s okay! It’s your money and your plan for it can change at any time. 

Change your mind, move some money, and move on. 

In YNAB, this looks like reviewing your priorities and expenses and deciding if you need to move money from one category to another to cover overspending or in anticipation of a formerly-unexpected expense. There’s nothing to feel bad about because changing the plan is part of the plan. 

That’s spendfulness, and, surprise! You’re already doing it. Yes, really. You’ve been practicing spendfulness from the very first moment you gave your very first dollar its very first job. 

And it only gets better from here. 

So, what’s your next step? This is the end of our onboarding series, but I hope it’s the beginning of your journey to living a well-spent life. 

Where do you go from here? 

• I’d like to subscribe to YNAB and commit to my spendfulness journey. ?
• I’d like to set up YNAB with the help of a real, live human in a free workshop. ?‍?
• I’d like a follow-up email telling me that I’m funny, extremely likable, and doing a great job at money. ?
  

Thanks for inviting us into your inbox. Regardless of where you end up on your financial journey, we wish you health, wealth, and lots of extra guac. ?