Heyyyyyoo!!
At 27 years old, I (Kim) am either the youngest millennial or the oldest Gen Z’er.
No one can actually decide the cutoff, and I like to claim both generations so I can a) keep up with the slang and b) justify my taste for early 2000’s pop.
When it comes to finances, I think I’m aligned with my millennial friends.
I have a pile of student loan debt, I’ll be renting until I’m 40, and I spend all my excess on my babies (AKA dogs) 🐶 and that’s okay.
It took a lot of self-reflection & permission to find contentment where I am.
While I recognize that a higher income would bring more stability and happiness to my life, I also know that there’s peace to be had in my current situation.
But how do we get there?
Finding Contentment in Our Finances 🤗
1. Embrace your season ⏱️
We’re all experiencing different demands and challenges as we progress through life. Recognizing that we will never reach a “finish” line with our finances can help us to embrace the good things, and learn how to manage the hard things; without becoming too overwhelmed!
Finding contentment in the season that we’re in is what will help us truly appreciate what we have – and find happiness in the day-to-day.
2. Learn the role of earning 💰
For those of us who aren’t already wealthy, more money will not in and of itself make us happy long term. But our ability to find contentment, satisfaction, and happiness now, at our current earning levels, will follow us into higher income earning brackets. This means we can BOTH find contentment with our current income, AND look for ways to increase that income.
3. Manage the money you DO have well 🌊
It’s natural for our income to increase over time. With it can come feelings of excitement and anxiety. It’s easy to think that having more money could mean more problems, or that a higher income could lead to excessive spending. Remember to remain confident and level-headed.
You can learn the skills to manage your finances well.
When we confidently manage our money, then improving our life, earning more, and spending more aren’t our enemy. A change in lifestyle doesn’t automatically mean the devastation of contentment. Find your money flow and stick to it.
From there, practice gratitude! This is the secret sauce to finding and living a contented lifestyle 🙂
Tired of complicated meal prep? On Tuesday, Jen & Jill shared a go-to list of low-ingredient meal plans in Simplified Meal Planning | Low Ingredient Meal Plans (Ep 416).
We’re coming at you with another debt free story today! Tune into How Kelly Used Social Media to Stay Motivated & Pay off $46k of Debt with Kelly Sjostrom (Ep 417) for some serious inspo!
Tune in wherever you get podcasts and let us know what you thought of the episode over on our latest Instagram post!
✅ Read: Practicing contentment doesn’t mean we forgo our needs or ignore increasing our income. Read this article for a list of easy ways to supplement your income during hard times. **
✅ Watch: Summer Baking Championship! This season has some fierce competition and 🔥 recipes.
✅ Do: Take a gratitude walk! Taking a stroll in nature and expressing gratitude can help us slow down and is scientifically proven to uplift our mood! Practicing gratitude regularly boosts neurotransmitter serotonin and activates our brain stem to produce dopamine. AKA, the happiness hormones.
✅ Meal Plan: Keeping with the spirit of Tuesday’s episode, I found the perfect 5-Ingredient pasta salad over at Gimme Some Oven that will make an excellent summer side dish. 🤌
Enjoy your weekend,
Kim
⭐️⭐️ P.S. Want to share all this goodness with your friends AND earn cool Frugal Friends merch?
**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.