Will your life probably always be "together," probably not. Recently I have realized that having my life together makes me feel a whole hell of a lot better than always living on the fly. Now that I am graduated from college and working my ass off in the "adult" world I felt like it was time to get something together. I feel like finances have always been the thing that I failed at the most because let's be real, when a 20-something year old walks into any store we just splurge on ourselves. Food will always be the devil's advocate because we need it, but what is the easiest way to satisfy a craving, going out and getting it rather than going to a grocery store and stocking up.
Here are some tips that I have:
1. Write EVERYTHING down!
When I say EVERYTHING, I literally mean everything.
I went out and bought myself a nice note-taking book and sometimes use the notes on my phone, whatever your preference, but write it down. Important dates, how much money you make a week, where your money needs to go, reminders to yourself. Once you start writing it down then you will (hopefully) remember it, making your life a little less stressful.
2. Keep track of your finances.
Me six months ago had no idea where my money was going, I would just spend and hope that I had enough left over at the end of the month to pay the bills.
If you have a checkbook, BALANCE IT. I will tell you that the time it takes to do the simple math will make you feel so much better. Just as I mentioned above, I write things down. I serve, so I write down how much money I made from each shift every day, making me aware of how much money I make a month. I also write down how much each bill is each month and which day it is due, crossing them off as I go. Once you figure this out then you can balance how much to save or how much you can use to splurge on yourself.
3. Remembering important dates.
You might think I am completely nuts, but I keep track of dates in three different places, yes three.
I am very keen on writing things down, so I have a paper planner. Again, went out and bought myself a nice planner where I write down when bills are due, when I work, birthdays, events, anything that you need to keep track of for times. That is typically the first place I write it, then I turn to my calendar hanging on my wall. I can just lay in bed and look at this one, so it makes it much easier if you are a little lazy and do not want to pull out that planner. The last place I turn to is my handy, dandy phone. I feel like I cannot keep track of as much in my phone so in here I typically just write down when I work or when bills are due.
4. Making a decent sleep schedule.
This is where I still fault, as I work late nights some days which gets my schedule off.
Start off small, make yourself go to bed by 11 p.m., then try 10 p.m., and then 9 p.m. Do this for the morning as well, set your alarm for 8 a.m., then 7 a.m., then 6 a.m. Sleep is so important for well-being, whether it be for your mental health or your physical health, sleeping right will help both of these matters. It is also okay to cheat and use melatonin, that's what I do. Not only does it help me get to sleep, but it helps me stay asleep.
(Please talk to your doctor before starting or when starting melatonin as they may be able to help with how much to take and when to take it)
5. Take time for yourself.
My personal favorite is coloring.
Adult coloring books are my right hand when I need to de-stress. I sit down and color for hours on hours and then I hang up when I accomplished, that way I can look at it and find a little peace. Light a candle and turn on some soft music. I typically recommend meditation music for this, but it is whatever you want it to be. Something I have found recently that I absolutely love is my essential oil diffuser. Put some lavender in there and you will find peace in your life. My oil diffuser and most of them, have a color setting on them to light up when turned on, which just makes the mood a whole lot freaking better.
Some other ways to take time for yourself might be getting your nails done, taking a long hot shower or bath, buying yourself your favorite bottle of wine and binging Netflix, binge-watching Netflix (in general), reading a book, whatever makes you happy.