As young, vibrant, independent women, most of you like to go
out to concerts, dinner, movies, maybe even travel a little. You
also like to look your best and make an effort to get the best
make-up, grooming products, haircuts or manicures. that your
money can buy. You want to go out with friends, network with
your coworkers, take a cooking or writing class, and meet a hot
date while you’re at it. As a young woman, you have a need to
experience all the great things that life has to offer. In other
words, entertainment and personal grooming are a big part of
your life. How do you then, reconcile the added expenses that
these fun things bring against your non-existent entertainment
budget?

My advice to you is to, first and foremost, prioritize. Ask
yourself what is the one thing you cannot afford to miss every
month. Make a list of all the entertainment things you would
like to do and then go over your budget and find any extra
dollars that you can allocate every week for at least one outing
a week. If getting a weekly manicure or going to the hair salon
four times a month is more important this month than going out
to that trendy restaurant or concert, then you know what your
entertainment money will be used for. As your priorities change
every week, so should your plans for entertainment and
pampering.

Once you know how much money you can spend on personal
grooming, entertainment and miscellaneous expenses every month,
I would suggest that you take that money out of the bank and
keep it at home or with you when it’s time to go out. This will
allow you to pay for things with cash and avoid getting into
credit card debt. If, on the other hand, there is no money left
from your expenses to go out once a week, then see if you can go
out once every other week. The one week where you cannot afford
to go out, you can rent a movie, call a friend you haven’t spoke
to in a while, or read a book you have been putting aside for
some time.

I know what you may be thinking: “it sucks that I am a young,
beautiful, smart, and fun woman who wants to enjoy life and
can’t because I don’t have any money. Moreover, one outing a
week is simply not my idea of enjoying my youth. It is simply
not realistic and cannot be done.” Let me remind you that
everything is possible, especially if you set your mind to it.
When I decided to move to the United States, I picked one of the
most exciting but expensive cities in the world, New York City.
I had less than $7,000, no job, spoke very little English, and
expected the money to last for 3 years.

It sounds funny, but coming from a small town in Puerto Rico, I
didn’t know any better. When the money was gone (a mere 3 months
later), I had to get a part-time job paid $150 a week. Needless
to say, entertainment was the least of my priorities. In a city
with such cultural and artistic diversity, staying home every
week seemed to be a sin, a major punishment. I had to prepare
myself mentally for my new reality, stop dwelling on what I
didn’t have, and concentrate on the opportunities that the city
had to offer (which were many) that were available for free or
for very little money.

My point with the above story is that living within your means
is possible. You must make the best of your reality while you
work to build a better one. Keep that in mind while making your
budget and learn to take responsibility for your finances.
Remember that you are working towards goals that will eventually
improve your economic station as well as other parts of your
life.

About the Author: Jovanka Ciares is a coach, motivational
speaker and author who teaches women the skills they need to
reach their fullest potential by using the unlimited power that
lies within each of them. She’s the author of “Don’t Blame Eve”
and offers free advice on her website at
http://www.self-improvementwoman.com.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=130370&ca=Womens+Interest