Welcome! I’m Sophia, the author of Mindful with Money (@mindfulwithmoneynz). I’m passionate about all things personal finance, currently work in the NZ financial industry, and hold the NZ Certificate in Financial Services (Life, Disability & Health Insurance; General Insurance; Residential Property Lending) and NZ Certificate in Money Management. This blog is my money diary, and I hope it gives you plenty of helpful tips and inspiration on your own personal finance journey!
5 ways to learn about money - for free
Financial literacy is important. And who doesn’t love free money resources? Today I’d like to share with you where I go to learn about money and all things personal finance - without paying a cent.
Budgeting, saving, and making space for each other’s needs & wants
As a couple, my husband and I have always been extremely open and honest about money. While personal finance books constantly cite money as the #1 topic couples fight about, I feel like my husband and I have avoided this due to a few reasons:
I took it upon myself to manage our money, purely out of curiosity and eagerness to try out the tips in all the books I read;
We are both the same with money - neither much of an impulsive spender or obsessive saver;
We talk about our money goals, and are on the same page when it comes to our personal goals, careers, kids, etc;
We both contribute to our fortnightly couple's budget, allowing both of our needs & wants to be met.
Today I'd like to share with you how we do this fortnightly budget. It's super quick and easy to set up and maintain, and of course, free!
You don't need to be rich to be financially stable
What does being financially stable mean to you? To the people I asked in person, it was more or less, “Not living paycheck to paycheck.” Here's why I believe that you can achieve financial stability, whether or not you consider yourself 'rich'.
Money habits I nailed in my 20’s
Today, I’m back with another reflective post. After sharing my financial regrets, I’ll be sharing with you mindful money habits I’ve done right – from my teens to mid 20’s.
Money mistakes I made in my 20's
Today, I'd like to introduce you to the hot mess I was in my early 20's, and the freeing changes I've made since. You could even call it my own financial #glowup!
Please note these are definitely not all overnight fixes; whether they've taken weeks, months, or years to improve upon, they are all things younger me could have done better over the last 8 years.
How to manifest money
Manifesting money isn't praying to the universe to give you money while you're sitting around doing nothing, or the opposite - working to the point of burn-out. It's not simply using Law of Attraction and positive affirmations to say, "I am wealthy" - it's so much more than that. Here are the best lessons I've personally learnt about manifesting money.
What’s on your reverse bucket list?
Have you ever heard of a reverse bucket list? While a bucket list is a list of everything you want to do before you die, a reverse bucket list is simply the opposite. It's a list of amazing things that you've already achieved and experienced.
My kikki.K bucket list book is very dear to my heart. A brief stay in hospital in 2015 inspired me to purchase a timeless journal to write down all my goals, dreams and aspirations - where I want to travel, milestones I want to achieve, concerts I want to go to, and more.
It's fun to read over it when I'm going through a rut and feeling 'blah', sometimes adding to it - but now, I realise that it tends to constantly keep me focused on the future. Future goals. Future plans. Future achievements. Why not also count and celebrate everything I've already achieved?
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