As Valentine’s Day approaches, we can’t help but think about the people and things that we love the most. It’s a time for celebrating love in all its forms – romantic love, familial love, and even the love we have for our friends and pets. But in the flurry of heart-shaped cookies and bouquets of roses, there’s one relationship that often gets overlooked – the relationship we have with our money.
Yes, you read that right. Money. It might not be the most conventional Valentine’s Day topic but bear with me. Because just like any other relationship, the one we have with our finances can be challenging emotionally, but also incredibly rewarding.
As I’ve touched on before, money is simply a tool. It is the thing that allows us to buy our favorite pair of shoes or buy our dream home. We exchange money for the airline tickets that help us get home to our loved ones during the holidays.
What is the key to falling in love with your money this Valentine’s Day? Spending it on or saving it for the things that you love the most. We get frustrated and “fail” when it comes to reaching our financial goals because we aren’t in love with what our money is going towards.
Personally, I would rather spend $1,000 on airline tickets and hotels to spend time with my family than $150 on a mani pedi. I get more joy out of spending time with others than I do on a two-hour nail treatment. (Plus, I can usually do a better job at home but that’s not the point here.) But you might value your time at the salon more than hoping on a plane. And that is TOTALLY FINE.
I encourage you this week to review your spending. How many times did you spend money on things that you don’t care about or don’t love doing? I will even go so far as to challenge you to look at how many times did you spent money over the last year with people who should no longer be in your life. You didn’t want to say no to another moms night out even though you don’t like most of the moms going. Instead, you could have gone on a date with your husband or even gotten a massage alone. When you learn to fall in love with your money you also learn to protect so it’s only being spent on the areas of your life you love the most.
