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So it’s the New Year, and what with all the holiday spending, one of your goals this year is to save more money. No more spending all your paycheck before you even have time to say “Money!”, and wondering what you are really working for…Yes, you do enjoy some of the (costly) perks of corporate life, lie that $3.95 latte (twice a day), or the $10 lunch at the corner Soup & Salad, or even right at your computer during lunch break, that tempting online shoe membership site (you know who you are)…And as much as I myself do not believe that one should totally deprive themselves of the “good stuff” of life, like that $3.95 latte that really helps you from telling that annoying co-worker what you really think of her, I also believe that you need to mind your money like no one’s business…Seriously…

We’ve all heard of the now infamous J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) phrase, and well…as much as your traditional job won’t necessarily make you rich, there are ways to mind more of your paycheck to at least keep your finances from hitting the “broke” stage…

• Keep Your Mind on Your Money and Your Money on Your Mind! Remember Snoop Dogg’s “Gin & Juice” lyrics? Ok, maybe not your most work-appropriate lyrics, but Snoop was onto something with the line “with my mind on my money and my money on my mind.” In other more politically correct terms, you need to keep an eye on your $$$! Whether it’s by logging into your bank accounts first thing in the morning to check where you stand and what you have to do to continue reaching for your goals, as LearnVest CEO and founder Alexa Von Tobel explains to us in her “Money Minute” . And if like myself, you barely remember to match your shoes first thing in the morning, set an alarm on your phone to remind you! And if you really don’t feel like starting your day counting pennies, schedule it for a different time of the day. Just make sure you turn this practice into a frequent, preferably daily, habit… Yup, with your min on your money on your mind…
• Automate, Automate, Automate! Did I say automate? As a self-professed technologically-deficient person, I could not be more thrilled with technology’s way of doing those things I would not remember to do! Things like automatic, God-sent money transfers! It’s got to be one of the easiest money to save, and allow your money to grow stress-free as you get the time to do other more interesting things, like reading this blog…Ok, ok…How to go about it? Easier than easy! Call your bank or go online and log on, set up your transfer from your checking into your savings account. Better yet, sock up 1 or 2% of your paycheck to start into your savings account by contacting your Payroll department and filling out the appropriate deposit form. And voila, you’ve got your money working for you while you’re working on…something else!
• Now Freeeeeze! Last but not least, after all minding your money, automating it, keeping your eye on it like a money hawk, now you get to slow your roll….with the spending that is! All those credit cards you’ve racked up over time? The crushing holiday debt that you have to pay off? Freeze it! Yup, grab that credit card, put it in a bow of water, and put it in the freezer…and leave it there for a couple of months or so, until you can see some light at the end of the financial tunnel! With the average American household carrying over $15,000 in credit card debt, you won’t be the only one freezing your credit cards this winter…and no defrosting any time soon!

Are You Minding Your Paycheck?

The Corporate Sister.