Getting Good at Money ⌛

As our 6 month journey around Australia and India was coming to an end my desire for adventure was fading and in its place was the longing for a home of our home, that we owned, and starting a family.

This marked a distinct change in myself and a new page in my relationship. I felt content in how natural this change in desire came, but once the reality of how I would pay for this sank in a lump formed at the bottom of my stomach. A knot of worry I couldn't shake - for the fact that I was bad at money was staring me in the face.

When I say I'm bad at money I mean I've never budgeted (nor stuck to one), I've never use credit, planned for the future or anything of that nature.

By the grace of God I read I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi when I started my first job after college and I had some money in the S&P500 but that was the extent of my financial prowess.

So that marks the starting place of my journey to get good at money.

When starting any journey it's good to have an idea of the destination, so my girlfriend and i sat down to bang out our financial goals.

Financial Goals*

1. Save a lumb some of cash to be used a deposit to buy a house
2. Create emergency fund
3. (Re)Start investing

*As our V1 goals they are fairly vague but directionally sound.

How I'm getting good at money?

This is where I will document how I'm getting good at money, this includes learning, creating rules, tracking my finances, and last but not least automation.

Learning

LINKS:

• The Algebra of Wealth - Scott Galloway
• Personal finance UK subreddit
• HENRY UK subreddit
• Money: A Users Guide - Laura Whateley
• Communion
• I Will Teach You to Be Rich - Ramit Sethi
• Money for Couples - Ramit Sethi

Creating Rules

Tracking

Automation

The journey so far...

1. Find high interest savings account ✔️
2. Set up S&S ISA ✔️
3. Create money rules (see above) ✔️
4. Track spending in spreadsheet ♻️
5. Get credit cards and use them to increase credit score ⌛
6. Improve credit score by other means ⌛
7. Track account balances ♻️
8. Automate saving (roundup and boosts) ⌛
9. Revising money rules