Creating More Space Through Financial Minimalism
Shownotes
In today's podcast episode, Charlotte chats about financial minimalism and setting new financial intentions as we head into 2023. Financial minimalism is based on the idea of eliminating clutter and embracing simplicity in life so that you have more time, money, and energy to send towards the things that you love and value.
In a society where we are constantly pressured to buy the next thing and keep up with the Joneses, financial minimalism can be a refreshing reset to focus on the things that truly matter to you.
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Episode Transcript
[00:00:30] Hello, Hello! Happy December. I can't believe that the holidays are in like a week. That is so wild and crazy to me. Like this year has gone by so fast and I feel like it's just happened so quickly that even though. I love the holidays. Like if you ask my friends, oh, what's one thing about Charlotte that you think about when you think of her.
[00:00:52] You're probably going to hear someone say, oh, she loves Christmas and the holidays, but like this year has just gone by so quickly that I [00:01:00] think getting into that holiday spirit space, like, it just hasn't happened yet. Like I haven't even been. Listening to much holiday music, which is abnormal. So I don't know. Hopefully.
[00:01:10] Once everyone. You know, get some time off of work and stuff. I can. Embrace the holidays. I do want to decorate some holiday cookies, but anyways, anyways, this time of year, it does always get me thinking. I think like it does for most people, top of the mind . Is setting intentions for the upcoming year. And I.
[00:01:31] I'm not against setting new year's resolutions and new year's goals. But I think for me thinking about setting intentions, It gives a little bit more flexibility of like, if things change, which they inevitably will. And intention gives me the space to do so. And. The intention that I am really feeling pulled towards is.
[00:01:55] Revamping refreshing. This approach to financial [00:02:00] minimalism, which I do talk about on social media sometimes, but basically financial minimalism is like the bigger minimalism movement. It's bringing more simplicity into your life and eliminating clutter and financial minimalism. Is an extension of that. And it basically advocates for spending less on things so that you have more time, money, and energy to invest into experiences, opportunities, or items that are in lit enriching your life.
[00:02:32] In some way.
[00:02:34] And I think that this is an important thing to think about. Especially post holidays, where there is such a push to buy more stuff, buy more gifts, get new things. There's tons of sales happening and all of that. I think that stepping back and pausing and reflecting and asking yourself, how can I be more , intentional with my resources with my time and with my [00:03:00] money, because there's more to life.
[00:03:02] Then having stuff and marketing tries to tell us that buying the next thing will make us feel happier and make us feel more satisfied. But I think it's time that we push back on that and. Like social media, for example, has I think really heightened up this, keeping up with the Joneses mentality. And I don't know if you know this already. I think I might've talked about this once on the podcast. I'm not sure, but Oliver and I, we started a DIY Instagram account chronicling our home renovation journey.
[00:03:35] The handle is one more project. It's fun. You'll see all of the mistakes and things that we learn while renovating our home, but basically being on social media. Media in this home improvement, renovation space, DIY design. There are so many people with like these. Absolutely gorgeous kitchens and living spaces, and they have all the newest things and everything's really trendy.
[00:03:59] [00:04:00] Like I found myself falling back into the social media comparisonitis thing that I thought that I was fully healed from. We're going to come back to that idea in a second. But I found myself falling back into this, keeping up with the Jones's mentality, like, oh my gosh. Like I really, really like their kitchen or I really like that super expensive oven and stove top. Like I want to have that. And I think social media.
[00:04:27] Puts this pressure on us that we have to have this thing right now. And for people that are in their twenties or their thirties. We're not at a point in our lives. Like most people are not at a point in their lives where they have the resources that someone in their forties, fifties, or sixties will have to be able to invest in these major projects. And then I also think that something that we don't see.
[00:04:52] A lot of times behind the screen. Is how are these new things that consumerism pushes [00:05:00] on us to have? How are a lot of these things acquired? And I would argue. As a financial counselor and seeing a lot of the data and information on debt in the United States, that a lot of things are acquired with debt. And we don't see.
[00:05:15] That debt happening, but we do see the things that we're encouraged to buy. So financial minimalism, I think. Pushes back against this. And if you follow me on social media on save, love, thrive, not one more project, but if you follow me on social media, you've probably heard me talk through the seasons about how.
[00:05:36] I have like these big decluttering. Purges or instances, whatever impulses. These decluttering impulses. And I think I'm having another one. And I think these come up in my life when I'm starting to feel. A little overwhelmed, like my energy is being pulled and all of these different directions. And of course, I think coming post burnout, recovering from burnout.
[00:05:57] I'm really assessing. How [00:06:00] could I make sure that my, my priorities are all accounted for in my life. And I think that decluttering and creating more space is beneficial of that. And it was kind of funny. I was on the phone with my mom the other day, who my mom. She doesn't declutter like that lover. She doesn't declutter.
[00:06:17] And I was on the phone with her and I was like telling her about this exciting thing that I'm going to share with you and a little bit. And she was like, oh my God, like don't tell me you're on another decluttering spree again.
[00:06:28] And I think that decluttering, it doesn't have to be for everyone. Like my mom does not like to declutter that's her own thing, but I know for me, Whenever I am very intentional about opening up space. With my physical possessions with my time, with my energy, with my resources, everything.
[00:06:46] I feel that expansion in so many different aspects of my life. And that's what I'm feeling really pulled to address as we kick off the new year. Because since we feel this pressure to live and spend. [00:07:00] Above our means. Keep up with the Joneses. I think minimalism, this offers a contrasting view. This offers us. Uh, a way to slow down a little bit, embrace a life that has less stressors because there's less clutter, there's less visual stimulation, emotional drain, less distraction, which gives us more freedom over our time. And we're able to do the things that we want more. And.
[00:07:26] I think that that's something that a lot of people are looking for. And I know that I need. And I'm looking for a reset on as well, even from like a cleaning perspective. Like I know when I had a very, a sparse kitchen when we were first moving into our house and we had all these different kitchen utensils and cookware and bakeware and things that were still all boxed up. And we had a kitchen that was just bare bones, hardly unpacked for months. Cleaning was a breeze. Like I was able to clean. My kitchen up so [00:08:00] quickly because there wasn't a bunch of stuff to put away. There wasn't a bunch of stuff on the countertop. And I think when we're thinking about our resources, time and money, they are so similar.
[00:08:09] And I think that our society as a whole, we can, we kind of look at time and money. Very very similarly. So opening up that resource, that very valuable resource of time. Is huge. And. I think with minimalism as well. And there is more to life than having stuff. And I think that this is our reminder that I need right now, especially being in this.
[00:08:32] Like new. Renovation thinking about what we want to have in our home, feeling that pressure to decorate and furnish a new house all at one time, which I think a lot of people who. Buy a home. They feel the urge to need to do. But I just, I continue saying to myself, there is more to life than having more stuff. And one way that I think that this is painted out so well.
[00:08:58] In one of the exercises [00:09:00] that I do with my clients, it's called a time-travel interview. And basically I asked my clients to imagine that they're. Eight years old, they're swinging on their front porch and they're just reminiscing and reflecting on all of the beautiful and amazing things that they've done in life and what those things are. And it's important.
[00:09:21] To note that like your. You have the happy ending, like all of the things that you want to happen happen. In this time, travel interview. And. Nobody ever puts down. Materialistic things like generally people will say like, oh, they're living in their home. They've established a route somewhere, but no, one's talking about like, oh, I had all of the latest stuff I bought all of the latest clothes or cars or.
[00:09:49] Decorations like nobody ever writes those things down. It always comes back to having the time to spend with their loved ones, traveling, having these really [00:10:00] enriching and beautiful joyous experiences. Rather than focusing on more materialistic items.
[00:10:08] And so when we're thinking about financial minimalism, it's not about never spending money. One thing that I firmly believe and teach my clients is that. It's not ever about never spending money on anything. It's about learning to spend money. On the things that you actually care about, the things that bring you joy.
[00:10:26] And value to your life rather than all the random shit that's marketed towards us at all hours and seconds of the day with marketing in the media. Like we probably can't go more than a couple of minutes without seeing an advertisement. Have some shape or form. .
[00:10:46] And that's pretty mind boggling to think about, like now that I'm reflecting on that, I'm like, wow. Literally, like if I open up almost anything on my phone, I'm going to see an ad of. Some type, right. And when we start thinking about, okay, well, how [00:11:00] can I use my money in a way that doesn't feel restrictive? So you're spending less, but it doesn't feel restrictive, but I'm spending it on the things that I care about more. That requires a huge shift. It requires a shift in your mindset and your actions, but when we're thinking about.
[00:11:18] Money management and money management. That's really reflective of the things that are important to you as an individual and the things that you care about.
[00:11:27] Doing the mindset work has to come first because our thoughts and beliefs that we're holding onto about money and finances. Plays a giant part in how we manage our money every day and the financial decisions that we make. And this includes identifying what's most important to you identifying your core values about yourself and your money.
[00:11:49] Letting go of societal standards and expectations and focusing on the things that matter most to you. So asking the question of like, whose idea is this, [00:12:00] if you're feeling pulled to buy something or to have. Achieved or accomplished something. At a certain point in time, maybe it's career, maybe it's owning a house. Maybe it's having a net worth of X amount of dollars.
[00:12:13] Ask yourself, whose idea is this? Is this my idea? Or is this something that the greater dominant society as a whole has pushed on me and with our home? With our home renovation since that's like really the thing that I think has spawned and sparked this financial minimalism and intention. Like this reset to financial minimalism for 2023.
[00:12:37] With our home renovation, just feeling this push that it's like, oh, we have to have this Instagram worthy home. And we have to have the newest kitchen and stuff and all of these things. And I'm going to be honest, like having a social media platform, like. Almost makes me feel like I have a. Responsibility to do that, [00:13:00] which is like not true, like not true at all. And I think that that is very much.
[00:13:07] Consumerism Instagram, keeping up with the Jones says like marketing, that's all pushing that thought in that narrative. Onto me. And I know that if I'm feeling it so many different, so many other different people are feeling it also. So asking yourself, like, Whose idea is this, is this a societal standard or is this something that actually matters to me? And that I actually care about, , mindset work includes overcoming fears and the things that are making you feel uncomfortable about money, which money is a topic that we're not taught about growing up and simultaneously our society views money as a taboo topic to talk about, which then makes it just uncomfortable for people to explore, learn about and discuss.
[00:13:52] And when we're also thinking about overcoming fears about money. That often includes healing from past experiences and [00:14:00] encounters, like forgiving yourself for your past financial mistakes. And there is also like a lifetime, like decades worth of financial experiences that we oftentimes need to work through to really heal from those things so that we can grow.
[00:14:14] And build the relationship that we want with our finances going forward, and then finding more gratitude every day and feeling. Grateful for the things that we currently have and adapting a more abundant view of money and the opportunities that are available to us. And so as we head into the new year,
[00:14:34] I have a goal of resetting my financial intentions through this minimalist approach. And I think that mindset work plays. A really important role with us. And so this brings me back to the thing that I said at the beginning of the podcast episode, , which was.
[00:14:49] That keeping up with the Jones is feeling that I was like, wow. I thought I had previously healed from this and worked through this already. But when we're thinking about money mindset, Or mindset in general, [00:15:00] like we're constantly going to be working on something maybe some time passes and something about this thing that you already feel like you healed from and worked through it comes back up and it's like, oh,
[00:15:11] I'm at a new level of dealing with this, like, let's address this, let's figure it, figure out what is bringing up these feelings and emotions and how can I work with work from this, grow from this, and build and move on and heal from these things. And that's something in full transparency. That's that's a place that I think that I'm at right now, when it comes from these pressures
[00:15:35] to buy these different things that are going to give us like the perfect home and then by extension perfect life and stuff like that. When really it's not the items.
[00:15:44] It's not the material items. As long as you have the things that are bringing you safety and security that are going to do those things for you. So here's what to expect with save love, thrive at the beginning of 2023, with this being like my big [00:16:00] intention for the start of the new year. So number one, I'm very excited about this. Like I kind of teased this on my Instagram stories today. It's Thursday.
[00:16:09] And I'm like, So excited, like bouncing in my seat, excited about this. I'm doing a free free 99. 30 day financial reset. So the wait list to join, it's not ready yet. I'm still doing the final touches on the, on the challenge in general. And what we're going to be kicking it off. Um, January 2nd is the first day that I want to do it. And then the waitlist to join will be available in the show notes of next week's podcast episode.
[00:16:37] And I'm super excited for this reset. It's going to be focusing on finding gratitude, creating more space, being more intentional with your spending. It's going to be awesome. And I'm going to be doing the challenge like right there with you. So get ready because that is coming very, very soon and more information there.
[00:16:55] And then I'm also doing a total overhaul [00:17:00] of the wealth building bootcamp curriculum, like total revamp, total overhaul, . Because I believe that mindset work is the missing piece to financial education. I've been working through this professional certification.
[00:17:13] In this program called the trauma of money and. It has like. I'll talk about this more in a future podcast episode, but it is like, Solidified this belief in me, even more that it's like, oh my gosh, like we are not talking enough about how past experiences society.
[00:17:31] Has on the way that we view money and our finances. And really though the whole point of the program of the trauma of money certification, it's, it's healing from our past traumatic experiences to create a feeling of safety and financial wellbeing. And like, this is something that we just do not talk about enough.
[00:17:54] But anyways, I digress going back to the boat-building bootcamp. Going [00:18:00] through the certification program has like solidified to me that like, this is a missing piece of the conversation. So what does the wealth-building bootcamp revamp look like? Part one. It's titled your money, your life, where we are really doing the inner work around money, identifying your core beliefs about yourself and your finances shifting out of a scarcity mindset and creating and building a more abundant mindset around money and creating space to dream really big and exciting things about your financial future.
[00:18:32] The second part is titled your financial system. And where this is. We're going to talk about all the systems and strategies about paying off debt as quickly as possible. Building a budget, sustainably, saving, and creating an infrastructure for your money that is supportive of multiple financial goals without the restriction, without making you feel guilt or shame every time you want to buy something for yourself.
[00:18:54] Because as we talked about with financial minimalism at the beginning of this episode, It's [00:19:00] money. It's not about never spending any money. It's shifting the way we think about money so that we're not spending money on the things that we don't ultimately care about so that we can send our resources towards the things that are really lighting us up and bringing joy and value to our day.
[00:19:16] And then the third part of the wealth building bootcamp is titled building wealth. And this is when our focusing on the big actions to take that are going to yield the big financial results, like the basics of investing, planning for your. Financial future and so much more like this is where the financial literacy piece, like we really tie that bow for you is in part three of the program. And.
[00:19:38] I'm just so excited for this update. Because understanding yourself, what matters to you, your experiences and healing, your relationship with money to grow your money mindset. It's it's the missing part of financial education and more information is going to be coming on the , wealth building bootcamp revamp so soon.
[00:19:56] But I'm just really looking forward to the shift as we [00:20:00] head into the new year. I am so excited for the 30 day financial reset with you. It's going to be amazing. So keep your eye out for that. Program. Link the link to join the wait list, which will be in next week's podcast episode that drops. And remember, the 30 day financial reset is totally free.
[00:20:19] Like, it's going to be awesome. I'm so excited for it. And if you want to learn more about the wealth building bootcamp, there is a link in the show notes for you. I would absolutely love to see you in that program. I always like whenever a new application comes in for the wealth building bootcamp, I just get so stinking excited. Um, but not to say that I'm excited for like the 30th time and today's episode.
[00:20:43] I really am I. Am just, I can't wait. I'm so excited for the shift that save live thrive is going to be making in the new year. So keep your eyes peeled. I'm going to be talking about it more, but I think embracing financial minimalism, it just feels like our really clearing [00:21:00] and expansive shift to start viewing things, especially as we're closing out 2022.
[00:21:07] Where everyone's experienced some pretty hard stuff with the high cost of living inflation going wild and all of that. , I think going back to a more simple and minimal minimal listic approach, I know for me, it's going to feel just so clearing and refreshing, and I can't wait to explore that more with you throughout the new year.
[00:21:28] So I will see you next week. I hope you are having a beautiful time and we'll chat soon, right? Before the holidays. Okay. Bye.
Disclaimer: The content and information provided on this podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional mental health, financial, legal, or tax advice. For recommendations on your specific financial situation, you must additionally seek the services of an appropriate licensed mental health, theraputic, legal, accounting, tax, or investment professional.
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Music written by Chris Glassman