The best way to get started with money (no matter where you are now)

I saw a quote a while back that said, “First make it exist, and then make it good.” It was a beautiful quote, and it really made me feel seen. That’s because it reminded me of a struggle I’ve had most of my life.

That is, the struggle with perfectionism. Throughout most of my life, I’ve had to talk myself through a lot, just to start something. I often didn’t know where to start. Or I believed that I should be further ahead than where I was. No matter what the “thing” is. So I didn’t start at all.

This was especially true about starting with money.

You might know a bit about my story, and how I began life really broke, and with essentially no financial guidance. And I had NO idea how to start with money.

Then I went into accounting, thinking that this would help me figure out the money thing. But interestingly enough, being an accountant didn’t really teach me how money actually worked. I had some of the pieces, but for whatever reason I couldn’t put them together.

Then, in my late 20s, I decided it was time to get serious about my finances. Now, at the time, I’d been in accounting for about 8 years. But even with an accounting background, I still didn’t quite understand personal finance. I didn’t know much about how to manage a budget (especially when you don’t have enough money!). So I decided it was time for a change.

Then, I met with a financial advisor about getting started with investing. But the meeting didn’t quite go the way I hoped it would.

I explained where I stood. His advice? He told me that if I didn’t have at least $500 to invest each month, don’t even bother.

I’m not going to lie, that bit of “advice” was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. Seriously, if the professionals told me not to bother because I didn’t have “enough” to begin, what could I do? To be honest, that whole conversation pushed me back at least two years on my financial journey.

That wasn’t the only money moment that was discouraging, either.

As I tried to learn more about money, I discovered that pretty much all the “resources” out there were for people who were 50 steps ahead of me. And needless to say, it was NOT encouraging.

But once I got over that humiliating moment with the financial advisor and the discouraging reality that most resources weren’t made for someone like me, I made a decision.

I decided I was going to start from where I was, no matter what that meant.

Now, at the time, I didn’t really have any savings to speak of. I might have had around $1800 in my IRA. At the time I was beginning my business and was totally unprepared for taxes. So I wasn’t exactly “prepared” to make big financial moves.

But I started anyway, and I started right where I was.

I began with $20 a month, and started with a super simple savings and investing plan. Took it one step at a time. And over time, it grew into something amazing.

When I started my finance journey, I recorded what I did to get started with money. Then I turned them into blogs, videos, social media posts, all of it. Because I knew that there was someone out there who was starting from where I did.

Even if you’re not starting even from where I did, that’s OK too! You can make moves. There is always something you can do start. Even if it’s saving an extra $5 a month with consistency, that is SOMETHING.

So just start from where you are. It does NOT matter where you think you should be, the milestones you think you should’ve met because of your age, or whatever limiting beliefs are nagging at you right now. Because all those thoughts will do is deter you from moving forward and stop your momentum.

Even if you’re already at capacity, that being that you don’t think you could add “one more thing” to your daily to-do list, you can still incorporate new money actions into your routine.

For example, let’s say that your big goal is a new money mindset, and you want to change your inner money talk and beliefs. Then something comes up during the day that triggers an old belief. What if you don’t have time to sit down and journal about your feelings for 15 minutes?

Try this instead: incorporate your money mindset practice into what you’re already doing. For example, when you take a shower, you can recall the limiting money belief that showed up earlier that day, reflect on it, and use the water to “wash it away.” Or maybe when you’re at the gym on the treadmill, use that time to literally “work out” the negative beliefs.

This kind of incorporation is simply another way to start from where you are.

Because, circling back to that quote I loved, you can’t do anything until the thing exists. First, the journey has to exist. With consistent action and incorporation, you can make it good later. So make it exist, then make it good, layer after layer, over time.

So incorporating things into your routine, if you’re already at capacity. Another example of starting where you are.

Now, reflecting on where you are today, what can you do now to take the next (or the first) step on your money journey? I’d love to know!

Tell me here how these ideas about how to get started with money landed with you, and what you intend to do to start with money, no matter where you are now.

Until next time,

Love, light, and MONEY, Honey…

Kaylee

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