As we wrap up 2020, I have seen much discussion given to the idea of “Thank goodness this year is OVER- bring on 2021”
However, I prefer to ponder on the 2020 I have had and acknowledge the things I have been most grateful for.
Firstly, is the tremendous relief that my immediate friends and family have stayed healthy throughout the year.
Lockdown, meant learning new ways to communicate for some. (Face-timing 4year olds is just plain FUN) With many people in lockdown and working from home has seen many of the Facebook groups I am in be more active and engaged, as people sought human interaction. I have formed some new online friends that will continue well beyond the new year.
Limitations on being able to go out meant that, instead of going out to eat, we would purchase quality ingredients and prepare many “restaurant worthy” meals at home (served on our “good China”). These days were a load of fun as M and I worked together to create delicious meals – Duck a l’Orange was a triumph, as was Pork Chops and Peaches.
Time at home also saw some heavy decluttering and deep cleaning done. Our apartment feels larger and lighter as a result.
I caught up on many movies, tv shows, YouTube channels and books that had been on my wishlist for ages.
YouTube channels on all kinds of exercise kept things interesting. From Yoga, to Chair Pilates and the crazy fun PE teacher Joe. Thankfully I am entering 2021 at 2kg less than the beginning of 2020.
From a finance point of view, my business is in e-commerce, and I saw a big move upwards in sales. With careful nurturing of my customers, I am looking forward to a new level with this business. M’s tradie business also saw some solid growth. I am immensely grateful that we were able to maintain our staff and even added a new staff member along the way.
All in all when I look at the current level of my life, I rate it as a pretty solid 8. Bring on the ability to travel again to visit and hug our interstate family and life will again be pretty close to 10.
Post in the comments, what are you most grateful for 2020 for?
For some people the mere thought of this time of year brings on a level of stress. The busy holiday season, extra expenses and the prospect of deciding on what the New Year might bring.
For me, December is a planning month (along with June). For the most part, I have gift shopping sorted well before Christmas. I will only need to buy some fresh fruit, chocolates and “scratchy” tickets to go with cards.
What I do in December is to reflect on the past year.
How have my plans worked out?
What have I achieved
What has brought me the most joy?
Have I created any new (good) habits?
Do I have more to do to reach my goals?
What could I have done differently?
I also start to do some preliminary planning for the next year. These early plans can be refined through the month. This means that I start the New Year with a solid framework rather than a hasty, unconsidered “resolution” that stands little chance of being implemented or achieved.
December is a time to have a look over my RISE Plan and see where my current life balance is and what I feel needs to improve. Often this makes any resolutions easy to make and prepare for.
Here are the steps I take to create my plan for the New Year.
GOALS: Starting with the lowest scoring items from my RISE Plan, I will create a plan to bring them up to a level that will create a better balance in my life. I will do a Be-Do-Have exercise to visualise what I want this area to look like in its 10/10 ideal state and plan toward that. This plan becomes a high priority so that area does not stay languishing in a less than perfect score
I will always try to work out how I can improve while keeping the monetary outlay as minimal as possible. If I find that an upgrade does require actual money spent, then I need to work out how to incorporate it into the budget so the expense has as little an impact as possible.
These goals may change slightly over the year. (I am not so rigid that my January plans MUST be adhered to all year), but it creates a good launching pad for the New Year to come.
JOURNAL: Spending some time of journalling what I see in my “new normal” life for this year helps in a number of ways. It helps imprint your visualitions into your mind. It has been proven that magic happens when you put pen to paper. Also knowing what little things I have planned as upgrades helps when people invariably ask me “What do you want for ( Birthday, Mother’s Day, Christmas)”. I will have a ready made list in my head of what I am desiring 🙂 This same list might also become saved searches in eBay, Gumtree or Facebook. It is surprising how often the “perfect thing” comes up at a great price.
SPECIFY: I will get specific with my goals. Vague goals such as “I am going to make self-care a priority” does not cut it.. It needs to be a SMART Goal. So my goal may be broken down to specific goals like 1: Book hairdresser every 6 weeks ongoing 2: Spend 30 minutes each morning on “me time” 3: Find a massage coupon (3-4 times for the year)
SCHEDULE: The first thing I do in my new year diary is to book out family birthdays and occasions. I know we get together as a family for many of these, so pencilling out those weekends as busy shows me how much spare time I have for “US”
I will then dedicate each month to a specific area from my RISE Plan. By concentrating on the areas that need the biggest upgrades first. It is these areas that might need to have new habits over a longer time period or a separate budget to consider. For example, I have a renovation of our Kitchen and Bathroom on the plan for 2021. I would like this to happen mid-year, but I will schedule it early in the year, so I have plenty of time to plan, get quotes and even start purchasing items for it as I might see sale items pop up.
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS: While is great to have “Stretch Goals” if you make your goals too hard to achieve, it serves only to make you disillusioned and with feelings of failure. Many of my goals will be two pronged – “Can certainly achieve if I stick to the plan” and “Would be nice if I really push it”
ALLOW DETOURS: As in any journey, there is no “right way” to get from A-B, and allowing for detours to the plan is Ok as long as the direction is ultimately toward the end goal. Sometimes it is these detours or “scenic routes” than can the most surprising results.
Your RISE Plan will help you pick up where you left off or reset some ideals of your ideal life.
Keep in mind that you are creating YOUR ideal life, and every bit of progress is a win.
The whole concept of “Sunshine Cash” is the total opposite of “Saving for a Rainy Day”
It is, of course, important to save an emergency fund for unforeseen events, but (in my opinion) to have money in the bank for money’s sake is just not necessary.
In no way would I EVER advocate spending more than you have, but cash is there to be spent. ALWAYS pay your bills first, then allow funds for savings and general “adulting” then allow some “Sunshine Cash” for just having fun.
My Story..
I have been on this planet for 50-something years now and have learnt a lot in that time ( as we have all) Some of the lessons I have taken to heart and have created a happy content life that is MY version of pretty damn good 😊 All while NOT “keeping up with the Jones’ (or the Kardashians)
I vividly remember as a child, the excitement of the big Saturday paper. Mum would read the lifestyle, cooking and fashion liftouts, Dad would have the news and sport, my brother would race for the comics and I just LOVED the ad catalogues.
The JOY of browsing each page and tenderly touching images of items that seemed only for the “rich”. With my hands on an image, I could close my eyes and imagine exactly what it would be like to have that thing. The way I felt, the touch, the sounds, the smell. Ahhh bliss!!
Little did I know that I was manifesting my ideal life even as a youngster. I always knew what my ideal life looked like.
My life is not “frugal” in the traditional sense of some ( I do not scrimp on every penny) Instead, I know what my ideal life looks and feels like and actively work toward that goal every day.
Over the years I have been told MANY times how “Lucky” I am and my answer has always been “I worked bloody hard to be this lucky” The truth is though… I am LAZY 😊 I actually don’t like to work too hard, but I do work hard for my money and I expect my money to work hard for me.
There is somewhat of a backlash to girls and women wanting to be a “princess”. After all, in this modern world can’t us women be so much more than a figment of prettiness that relies on a saviour in the form of a man?
Well…DUH!! Of course ? I do not aspire to be a Disney Princess nor an actual Royal Princess -that appears like faaaaaar to much work.
What I DO aspire to is the perfect life that most little girls are led to believe that a Princess has.
Waking up in a huge fluffy soft bed ( where even so much as a small pea creates discomfort) surrounded by woodland creatures and twittering birds.
The sun is shining as she slips into a lovely outfit and partakes of high tea in luxurious surroundings. If there is any light work to be done, it is met with a merry song and is never a drudgery.
Her prince is dashingly handsome and treats her with the love and adoration that befits her – and she reciprocates. TOGETHER they live happily ever after.
I guess it is not so much the idea of being a princess as such but rather it is the idea of being the heroine of your own story, whatever that looks like.
I ask you WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH THAT!!!
So… Use the good china, Wear the jewellery, Bathe with the nice soap. Who is more important to use it for than YOU!
When you think of RICH does the image of money and wealth immediately spring to mind? For most people it does, but did you know that the dictionary has many definitions of the word RICH and only one has to do with actual money.
However, by following these 3 simple rules, you can become financially rich.
Rule Number 1: Do Not Live Above Your Means. I think everybody knows their income should be higher than their spending to be able to achieve financial stability. Certainly, my philosophy of making my cash work hard for me has been the cornerstone of creating my “Sunshine Cash” lifestyle
Rule 2: Save Up and Invest Again the common thinking is to save the balance between your income and outgoings and invest to create further income. Planning income for your future self is a wise decision if you do not to be still working 9-5 well into your 80’s.
Rule 3: Improve on Rules 1 & 2. It is easy to plan and budget your expenses. The issue comes in the practice. So many have the greatest intentions only to slip back to bad habits in a month or two. It is VITALLY important to keep checking in with yourself and keep yourself on track to achieve your long term goals.
Rule 4: Do Not Apply These Rules to Just Your Money. To have a truly RICH life, every area of life needs to follow the first 2 rules. Let’s see how this can be applied to the 8 life areas..
Life Area
Rule 1:
“Do Not Live Above Your Means”
Rule 2:
“Save Up and Invest”
Financial Wealth
Spend less than you Earn
Save and Invest the left over money after expenses
Home and Environment
Have a home that suits your lifestyle
Maintain your home to keep it in good condition.
Family & Friends
Have hundreds of “Friends”
Nurture and protect true friendships that see you through thick and thin.
Romance / Partner
Be too busy to give your partner time. Taking them for granted
Taking time to connect on a personal level often to keep the spark alive.
Health & Wellbeing
Overeat and don’t exercise
Have regular check-ups with health professionals.
Career & Business
Jumping from one job to the next often.
Creating a long term career that creates job satisfaction.
Personal Growth
Being constantly stressed and busy
Allowing some “Me Time” to create balance and unwind.
Fun & Recreation
Being constantly stressed and busy
Finding time to have fun, engage in a hobby or just relax with friends
Take some time and consider how can you apply the 2 rules to your life in all areas.
One of my less than perfect items was our dinner set. It was a cheap set bought from Kmart and it has worn terribly.
In my perfect world, I would be eating off fine bone china every meal. So why don’t I?
Well, my BS excuses are around that the “Good dinner set is only for special occasions”. “Good china can’t go in the dishwasher” Good china will chip easily” and that “Good china is very expensive”
My mother’s “good china” is a Noritake set she received as a wedding present over 50 years ago. It gets used maybe once or twice a year. I decided I wanted Noritake as my everyday dinner set. A quick look on Facebook showed a lovely 6 place full setting in a nearby suburb for $50
. SOLD!!!
I don’t even care if the dishwasher takes the silver band off it in 12 months or so. At $50 it is cheaper than the crappy Kmart one. So now, for the time being, my dinner set is High Class. It makes every meal feel like a “special occasion”
Many of us have been raised with the idea of "saving for a rainy day", so we diligently squirrel away savings for a disastrous event.
While it is important to have a safety net backup, "Sunshine Cash" is the complete opposite :) It is the money to have FUN with, money to burn, money to enjoy, and money to LIVE.
It is the formula that has seen me "Rise to Rich" and I can help you do the same.
Where to now? Join me on the Sunshine Cash journey. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for tips and hacks to create YOUR best life.
Oh! Please do comment on my posts. I love to know if something resonates with you, or how you do things differently. I love to hear your stories.
Waking up in a huge fluffy soft bed ( where even so much as a small pea creates discomfort) surrounded by woodland creatures and twittering birds.
Recently I bought an upgrade…
