Except for the cleaning part, spring is pretty great. More flowers. More wildlife sightings. Fresh air. More cash in the bank and April showers bring May flowers!
Life feels pretty good beyond the stagnant winter months, as cash gets flowing again. Boy! Wouldn’t it be great if every day were spring! Knowing the off-season will eventually come back around, I encourage you to take this opportunity to do the spring cleaning that often gets overlooked:
- Dust off the good money management habits
- Impulse buying is for the birds
- Clean out the junk drawer of seasonal debt
Just as you would dust a shelf, throw out old rubbish, or organize your supply locker, now’s the time to spring clean your habits and impulses around money. Be deliberate and discerning about expenses and how you may stretch the dollar while more dollars are coming in. Having a “rainy day fund” is not just an old adage. Plan ahead and implement now while things are looking up.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Follow a strict budget for each job you’re managing.
- Run weekly reports “budget vs actual” to stay on track with profit
- Set a financial goal for the end of your busy season.
- Devise and follow a plan that will help you obtain your goal.
- Don’t get sucked into the “good weather” spending frenzy; we suggest that you wait 24 – 72 hours before making a purchase so you can avoid impulse buys and elevate your money saving potential instead.
- Look at your financials as often as possible. If it feels painful to do, it’s the best time to do it! The more you know, the more empowered you become to make a change.
- Tally your receipts on a weekly basis, choose a day that fits best with your schedule. It’s always good to know how much you’re spending.
You may be thinking “well, no duh” but the reality is, we all lead busy lives and other things become “more important”. Try to remember that it is that line of thinking that ultimately traps a person financially. The efforts you make now for financial health and well-being will feel twice a blessing/curse when winter rolls back around.
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