It’s not about what you can have, it’s about what you need.
You’ve heard of decluttering your homes, but have you ever heard of decluttering your finances? It’s a real thing, we promise. If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed with bills, taxes, savings and investments, engulfed by financial stress and breaking your head over your money, we don’t blame you. Money is complicated.
But what if it wasn’t? Decluttering isn’t as hard as it sounds – think of your finances as a neat bento box, or a thali. Each element has its own place: no mixing, no spillage, and no confusion. We’re here to help you figure out how to organize your own financial bento box with 4 helpful tips:
Keep track of your finances
We know it’s easy to pretend like you didn’t just blow your money on a massive marketing budget. We get it. But let’s be honest, that’s not helping you track your money, is it? So whatever the expenditure, as extravagant as it is, track it! Once you get a general sense of how you’re spending your money, you may decide you want to alter your spending habits or re-prioritize certain expenditures. Get a sense of what you want your bento box to look like.
Cut out unnecessary expenditures
Once you’ve figured out what you’re spending on, it’s easier to cut out unnecessary expenditures. Maybe you’re budgeting wrong, and your ad spends don’t sum up to what you intended it to be, or maybe you’re spending an ungodly amount on office stationery. With futile expenditures piling up, you’ll soon find that the lid on your bento box will be harder and harder to close. So once you’ve figured out what you really don’t want in it, discarding it will be umpteen times easier.
Pay your bills immediately
This may sound like a no-brainer, but unpaid bills can snowball into an unexpected and beastly surprise. One way to do this is to go fully digital, and ‘trust the fintech!’ Lose the crumbled paper bills and move online where you can automate your payments to go out on time (and therefore spare you the mental and physical headache of paying them). Once they are automated and hassle-free, they may occupy one section of your bento box, and be extremely pleasing to look at! (Where’s our OCD gang at?)
Streamline your expenses
We’re not sure of how else to say this, but ditch the multiple credit cards and stick to one. This will help you keep track of all your expenses in one place, shed the extras, and balance your credit score. Just the way you wouldn’t want your curry to spill over into your rice, don’t let your finances overflow: manage it! Your bento box is complete when all the elements are in the places they need to be, easy to access and right in front of your eyes. Not sure where to find a card that does all that? Hmm. Maybe check out @kodocard!
Basically, we’re asking you to ‘Marie Kondo’ your expenses. If it doesn’t spark joy, throw it away. You can also follow the KISS motto: Keep It Simple, Startups! Use this as your official cue to declutter your finances and declutter your lives.
