Financial Tips for 2023

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Financial planning and goal setting usually happens at the beginning of every year. Unfortunately, for many of us, we lose track of our financial road map towards the second of the third month and go back to old spending habits?

How to stay on track and get on top or your finances? Here are five tips to help you stay focused and achieve your goal by the end of the year.

Seek guidance from the Lord

Everything that we have in this world has been bestowed upon us by God. And it is just right that we seek guidance from the Creator Himself. Surrender your financial goals, dreams, and even your struggles. No one is too deep to gain financial freedom as long as we do our best and our best us aligned with the will of God.

Ponder of Psalm 24:1 and 2 Corinthians 9:8. Both should give you a sense of confidence that everything is from Him, and He is after our own good. This includes our finances.

In acknowledgement that everything comes from Him and in act of surrender, my family and I practice tithing. And it is through complete surrender that we started seeing His true powers of our lives.

You can read about tithing in Leviticus 27:30, Matthew 23:23, and 2 Corinthians 9:7 from many others.

Set a SMART Goal

When setting financial goals, make sure that it follows the SMART method;

Specific– What exactly are you saving for? A house? An emergency fund? Car? Whatever it is, make it clear. Write it down including the value. This makes it easy for you to calculate how much you need to put away and for how long.

Measurable– How long do you intend to save up? A year? 5 Years? or 10 years? How much each month? This will help you calculate at the end if you were successful in reaching your goal. Not having a clear time table and amount makes you more lenient and has the tendency to crumble discipline away. Make use of available and free online savings calculator to see if your financial plan is feasible.

Achievable– You can’t set a 2 million savings goal when you are a minimum wage earner. Unless you have other streams of income, you are setting yourself up for failure. It’s just not possible and realizing this later on can greatly discourage you and makes you lose interest. Who would be interested in working for a fantasy?

Realistic/Relevant– Another thing to keep in mind is to keep things realistic. Base your savings plan on your current income and your timetable, without losing sight of your other expenses. If you are earning 20,000 per month and living in a highly urban area, you can’t create a savings plan of 100,000 in one month. Unless you don’t plan on eating and spending on other essentials, this is a very unrealistic goal.

Timebound– Don’t forget to set a time frame for your savings plan. Set a target date so you can easily track how well you’re doing.

Establish a spending plan

Creating a savings plan is very important towards financial freedom but equally as important is creating a spending plan. Budget your money wisely and keep track of your expenses. This is one way to check where most of your expenses go. This will later help you evaluate if you can cut back on some items, increase your savings, and ultimately help you achieve your financial goals.

The road to financial freedom can be tough especially if you don’t know what you are doing but don’t let this stop you from achieving your financial dreams. Talk to people who are financially successful and ask for tips. I have realized that those who do well in life are more than willing to share their knowledge.

More than anything, remember that the most important thing here is to control your financial flow, not the other way around. Learn how to make money work for you instead of working for the money.