Jay Rizzo, Life Coach

06/26/2018

Quick Jay tip of the day!
What’s the biggest drain on your finances? Eating out!
It is so easy to run out the door late for work and just say I’ll grab lunch somewhere. While yes, it is convenient it is also costly. And if you are putting it on your credit or debit card, you’re more likely to buy extras because you aren’t seeing the money leave your hands! If you’ve been budgeting then you may see that you're spending $300-$400 a month on takeout. I was spending close to $200. It sounds like a lot, but that's only $50 a week. 2 lunches eating out $18.00. One Dinner eating out $25 (I do love sushi!) and then candy bars, pizza or snacks throughout the week is easily another $10. And if you have a family of 4, you could easily spend upwards of $600! If you were able to cut that down to $200, think about where you could put that extra $400 every month! After 10 months, you could about pay off a $4000 credit card bill! Or put it in a special savings account and take a cruise! Or put it into an emergency account! I’m not saying to be a prude; after all I don’t think I met a pizza I didn’t like! The key is budget your money and include takeout as a category. Best way of doing it? Put your budget of takeout as cash in an envelope labeled takeout. When the cash is gone, so is the takeout for the month. The envelope system is hands down the best way to get a grip on your finances! Don’t know what the envelope system or how it works? Stay tuned as that’s the next quick tip!

06/11/2018

Quick Jay Tip of the Day:
The most common cause of stress, anxiety and family problems is financial. Bullet Proof your finances!
What's the easiest way to bulletproof your finances? Make and stick to a budget. (Everyone in the family needs to be on board, including your partner. if you're not, it'll fall apart faster than Trumps meeting with Korea) I know, I know. Budgeting is hard and not fun and is too restrictive, like an overbearing clingy Ex. But in my experience it is freeing and has actually lessened my financial stress! You should be able in under 10 seconds, to know and say what your minimum out going payments are every month, along with your monthly income. This is the first step to stop living Paycheck to Paycheck, and becoming Debt Free!
So how to start a budget? List down every payment you owe monthly and include food and gas. include clothes, car care, take out (the biggest single Culprit of secret money drain and something I'll talk about in another post) and anything else you want or routinely spend money on. Then in another column, list all income. Now you can see where you are, and where your money goes. Everything you spend money on gets a category.
Now where it starts to help: having trouble making payments? Look at your spending and pick some area(s) to cut. Knowing all this info helps you plan, and when you have a map laid out, it is much less stressful!

08/17/2017

07/25/2017

07/13/2017

If this is you, stop trying to go the path you weren't meant to go. Sometimes we get so focused on a certain path that we become close minded. The universe may have a much simpler and more fun way to reach our goals, but we're working against it. Let go and let creativity guide you. You may even get a new perspective and an even larger goal that you never thought was possible!