3 Things I learned from Moms and Finance Workshop

3 key things I learned from the Moms and Finance workshop that's relates to everyday life

1. Discipline- At the workshop we talked about the importance of setting a budget and recording our actual expenses on a monthly basis with a year-to date summary to analyze your financial expenses. For many, creating the budget was the easy step; the hard part was having enough discipline to stick to their budget. As I reflected on this in my own personal life, I thought,  "There goes that "D" word again!" Discipline is not only something you need in finances but quite frankly, something you need in life period! Discipline helps you reach goals and achieve them! Discipline is a very good characteristic trait everyone should have! 
2. Goals- In another part of the workshop, attendees were asked to write down their short term and long term financial goals and steps to achieve their personal financial goals. Again, another essential point in life! We all must have goals! Otherwise, what are we living for? God didn't want us to just take up space and live day to day. What are your goals? I always start with personal goals because I am a strong believer in working on yourself first. Next what are your family goals? What are your career goals? It is very important to have goals and values and stick to them. Track your progress and keep pushing! 
3. Last but surely not least! Knowledge and information! The sole purpose of some mothers for attending the workshop was to get knowledge and information to become more financially savvy. This is so important! Learning doesn't stop when you graduate from college. Learning is a life journey. You should always be seeking knowledge and information for anything that you're not aware of. Knowledge is the one simple thing that will set people apart from succeeding or failing! Make the best of our new savvy technology world! Don't just use it for social media, seek knowledge and like-minded organizations and groups. Never stop learning!
 


The workshop was amazing!!!!! I am so thankful for everyone that attended and I'm looking forward to many many more!

I also took my son to soccer this week and boy was it a workout but he had tons of fun! There are soccer classes at Total Soccer for ages starting as young as 18-24 months! So much fun and really engages the children!

5 Steps To A Better Financial Future

Since we have almost 2 months left in 2015, I want to do a pulse check to see where you are. Did you set goals in January to help guide you throughout this year? If so, how did you do?  If you aren't where you want to be, then there is still time to start over and take some critical steps towards achieving a better financial future. 

By: Aisha Taylor

Step 1.  Determine your why. Your why is your reason for making the decision to do something different. Making changes in your life, behavior, and habits takes work. Having a strong why will help motivate you to keep going and make the necessary sacrifices to have the life you really want. 

Step 2.  Create your financial blueprint. Creating a financial blueprint consists of a budget and a strategy to achieve your goals. Look at your current bill structure and then determine if there are areas to cut.  Also, look at monthly subscriptions and charges to see if you need them of if they can be modified. Also, identify ways that you can increase your income to achieve your goals faster. 

Step 3.  Understand and strategize around your blind spots. Your blind spots are areas in your spending that you don't notice.  For example, you may buy a lunch everyday without thinking twice.  This is why it is so important to track everything that you spend. This will help you to identify and quantify the items that you buy out of habit. Understanding this will help you to determine what you should keep it cut to be more intentional about how you spend your money. 

Step 4.  Grab a friend. Similar to a gym buddy, embarking on a new journey is more fun with a friend. Remember we are more likely to break our promises to ourselves rather than other people.  Let your friends know that you want their support to help to hold you accountable towards achieving your goals. Then, ask them to participate with you.  

Step 5.  Have fun responsibly. You don't live to work; you work to live. There is nothing wrong with having fun; just do it responsibly. Include items in your budget that are fun and bring you happiness. If you want to have your morning latte then get it. Just make sure that it is included in your budget. Figure out the things that give you the greatest value and then make room for it in your budget without sacrificing your goals and priorities. 

Now that you are equipped with simple tasks to build a better financial future, you can start now.  Don't wait until January because everyday that you wait is another day that you spend not working on creating your ideal life. 

Be sure to leave a comment to let me know what you will do next. 

If you want more tips and resources, download your FREE Hotsheet that will show you the best online savings sites and apps!  Click here to download!

Aisha Taylor is a #1 Amazon Best Selling Author of the book “5+5 FNPhenomenal Ways to Save $100 This Week Without Killing Your Lifestyle”, the Founder of FNPhenomenal (Frugal –n- Phenomenal), and creator of The Live Phenomenal Program. The Live Phenomenal Program is a program designed to give you the tools that you need to totally transform your finances, and stop living from paycheck-to-paycheck. It’s time for you to be Financially Phenomenal! Book your complimentary 20-minute financial clarity session with Aisha here.

BIO

Aisha Taylor, the founder of  Frugal-n-Phenomenal (FNPhenomenal),  is a financial freedom expert who brings a modern and fresh twist to wealth consciousness.

 As the founder of FNPhenomenal she has dedicated her life to building up others and equipping them with the knowledge and resources to be true and legendary change agents within their communities. FNPhenomenal helps women break the vicious cycle of bad money habits by providing them with simple “Every Day Living Principles” that will show them how to live frugally yet phenomenally.

Aisha holds Bachelor degrees in Public Policy and Economics from Duke University and Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan. Aisha is also a license and certified Financial Planner.   Prior to launching her company FNPhenomenal, she spent years working in Corporate America as Senior Financial Analyst where she gained experience in business development, budgets & forecasting, creating and  developing financial reports, financial model development, contract analysis, profit and loss statement management, and revenue/profit strategy optimization.  She has also had the opportunity to work as a project manager where she was instrumental in restructuring the accounting processes for many governmental grants.

To learn more about FNPhenomenal and how they can serve you or your group, please visit their website at www.FNPhenomenal.com or email the FNPhenomenal team at aishataylor@fnphenomenal.com.

Connect with Aisha at:

www.FNPhenomenal.com

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @FNPhenomenal

info@fnphenomenal.com

Raising A Family In Detroit: We Are Not Statistics!

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I saw an article about raising a family in Detroit in Metro Parent and it immediately hit home. I have been a Detroit Girl all my life; I’m even a product of the Detroit Public School system, and while I have a long way to go, I would like to say I'm on the right track. When I hear people negatively speak about Detroit I quickly jump into defense mode. It wasn't until I had children that I actually contemplated jumping the fence over to the suburbs. I still struggle with my decision but I know that I would only move out of Detroit to provide my children with an outstanding education. However, when I look back over the things I struggle with as an adult, it’s mostly family structure more than education. I know my mom did the best she could to provide for my brother and I, but we do learn from our parents and try to be even better parents. Here are some things I believe are essential for parents to do, particularly those living in inner cities such as Detroit that sometimes sets us apart as successful adults. 

1. Save for your children's education: I admit, I was that parent—fancy birthday parties every year, spending $300 for a two hour party for a toddler—that won't happen again for me as I quickly learned this was a mistake. I do believe in celebrating birthdays but it doesn't have to be so extravagant every year. Children just love being around their friends and I think the single best gift I can give my children is a tuition free education. That way, as an adult, they're not struggling with debt like I am. Now, I’m not saying everyone in Detroit is in debt and everyone living in the suburbs is debt free, this is just data from the majority and it seems that suburban communities have already grasped this concept.
2. Education is important but home is a priority. Yes, education is important but even if you send your children to top-of-the-line schools, I doesn’t matter if your home doesn’t have a loving, structured learning environment. The same goes for children attending public schools; there are very successful people that came form public schools but because their home environment also supplemented learning and taught them values, they were able to close the gap if it wasn't being offered in school. Parents are also teachers since learning doesn't stop at school. As parents, we need to implement homework times, discipline, structure, teach manners etc. The home is a child’s first classroom, so don't neglect it! 
3. Race does matter! Yes I said it! Everyone says race doesn't matter and that children don’t notice racial differences at a young age. I don't think race is as important as we make it, but, I do believe that children notice when they look different from everyone in their class. It's important we talk about race with our children and people who look different in general. We can't ignore race, especially not in today's society.  
4. Extra-curricular activities are important. We need to expose our children to activities that develop a sense of teamwork and discipline. Detroiters may not have access to the prestigious golf clubs, and tennis clubs but we still have access to recreational centers such as the YMCA in downtown Detroit that offer a lot of activities for toddlers and teens.
5. We don't have to be a statistic. Everyone raising their families in inner cities are not low income, or ignorant. Some people just believe in their city and support the progress in their current city. I have been raising my family in Detroit for almost three years and my home has never been broken into or anything of that sort. You don't have to be a statistic, we can teach our children different but it all starts with us.

Raising children is one of the single hardest things to do but as parents we have to make the best decisions for our children's longevity.

Join us on November 14th for our moms and finance workshop!!!  To learn some savings and finance tips!! 

 

Jessica M. Byrd is the parent of a two and one year old. 

She is the founder of Detroit Moms Rock and believes 

every mother should live a life on purpose!