Notes to Self:

By Jane Tanfei|Dec 06 2013 | Thoughts, Writings

Finding myself focused on and worried about money and life, I decided to write a couple of lists to remind myself what I am actively doing to take control of my life. This list has eased my mind about financial worries:

What I can do to get further ahead financially:

1. Save money each month – even if it’s just a few dollars. Continue to build up an emergency reserve. Do not remove money from savings unless it’s an emergency. Ice cream is not an emergency.
2. Continue to pay off student loans and mortgage; begin to pay extra on highest interest loan.
3. Continue to make good choices by weighing benefits to self and potential effects on the wellbeing of my children against external reasoning.
4. Continue to be a bargain hound; find best quality & price even if it takes extra time. (That extra time sometimes makes me realize I don’t ‘need’ something I previously wanted and prevents me from wasting money.)
5. Continue to be vigilant about impulse buying by consciously calculating costs while shopping and recognizing impulse buys as a waste of resources.
6. Remain brutally honest with self about finances, and continue to keep a close eye on costs. Use cash when possible.
7. Continue with 401k investments; increase percentage with each raise.
8. Invest more time in alternate sources of income & be prompt and vigilant about invoicing.
9. Grow as much food as possible. Continue to decrease processed food consumption, continue learning to cook & bake from scratch.
10. Continue paying for term life insurance & purchase add’l term when possible ; children need this if anything happens to me.

This list, though, is much more important to me. Writing it out has eased my soul tremendously. I have printed it out to keep with me at all times:

What I can do to be content in heart and mind:

1. Love everyone, but remain shrewd.
2. Follow my intuition and urges.
3. Be mindful of self and emotion.
4. Remember: Present is reality, Past is memory, Future is fantasy.
5. Speak up for self and others.
6. Be honest with self and others.
7. Recognize fear, examine it, understand its source, conquer it.
8. Remember that I am loved.
9. Remember to be gentle in my self-talk.
10. Remember that I am worthy and am making my life what I want it to be.

I would encourage you, my friend, to take stock of your life and figure out what you can do to ease your troubles.

I love you and I hope you are doing what you need to do to be happy,

– Jane