Getting Ahead in Money Matters

When it comes to money, everyone’s experience is different. We have different types of relationship with money and different attitudes towards it. What we do have in common is that we can grow in our money skills. Our decisions around money don’t have to be fixed; we can change in ways that support the life we want to build for ourselves.

For example, I used to have an attitude towards money that was mostly spontaneous. If I saw something I wanted and could afford it, I would just buy it. It wasn’t that I never thought about money, it’s just that it played a very small role in my decision-making.

Over time, and with the help of my wife, I’ve come to realize that money is simply the currency of tradeoffs. What you spend today, you don’t have for tomorrow. That thought is obvious on the face of it, but it’s something we each need to explore on our own terms.

The good news is that anyone can become better with money, and enjoy the benefits of exponentially compounding those decisions over a lifetime. In this article, I’ll share my own lessons from a journey of being more intentional about money matters and mapping those decisions to my values.

Spending Less, Saving More

You don’t have to be frugal to get ahead in money matters, but it doesn’t hurt. One way to get the snowball rolling is to simply spend less and save that money instead. For me, it was helpful to see saving as a fun and enjoyable activity. It’s not that I don’t enjoy nice things now, it’s that I enjoy both nice things and the peace of knowing I have a cushion for unexpected events in my life and the life of my family.

Buying Happiness Responsibly

There’s a form of buying happiness that I think is entirely healthy and good. They say that money can’t buy happiness, but it can be used to purchase things you enjoy or that makes your life easier. The only catch is not to spend beyond your means. What’s the point of enjoying something today, if you are passing the bill onto your future self, or worse, your future family.

Avoiding Debt As Much As Possible

When we got married, my wife and I both had a little bit of debt from college, but we were fortunate to have no debt beyond that. We took the path of avoiding debt as much as possible and becoming debt-free as fast as we could. We both had good-paying jobs out of college, and while that isn’t the case for everyone, we enjoyed the benefits of never being in debt.

Investing In The Future

Another great lesson I learned is to see beyond the near term with money. If you’re thinking about next year or the next five years, it’s easy to imagine ways you’ll avoid a particular financial hurdle, or to think that things will just work themselves out. But if you’re thinking about your children’s children, and how you’d like things to be different for them— it changes your perspective. Money doesn’t solve every problem, but it certainly gives you a much larger margin for error and more options on the table.

Learning From Others’ Financial Mistakes

One of the best pieces of financial advice I ever received was to study the financial lives of those around you. You don’t have to ask them personal questions or even reveal your intentions. Just observe. You’ll see some people that seem to always have more than they need, and live a comfortable life, even if they don’t have a high-paying job. And you’ll see others who never seem to have enough and are always having to make hard decisions about what they can afford. While money isn’t the only factor here, it’s often a big one.

Talking To Your Spouse About Money

This point really came to life when I got married, but it’s not exclusive to those who are. If you have a spouse, you should certainly talk about money, at least enough that you aren’t making conflicting choices with your purchases. That’s something that my wife and I have worked hard to do in our marriage. But beyond just marriage, talking about money is good for long-term friendships. Money isn’t everything, but to pretend like it’s not important is to ignore an important part of life.

Keeping Money In Its Rightful Place

Since this article is about money, you might think it’s obvious that I think money is important. And it is. I’ve written 1,000 words on the topic, for pete’s sake! But I also think that it’s important to keep money in its place, and that place is below the things you value most. For me, that’s my faith, my family, my health, and my friends— among a few other things. Money can enhance all of those things, but why even bother if you don’t have your priorities straight. Don’t chase money if it means destroying everything that you love.

Cultivating Contentment Above All

The final thing I’ll say about money is that the best way I’ve found to control it, is to have enough of it. When you don’t have enough, it becomes a point of stress in your life, and you don’t think about it in a healthy way. But then again, I’ve met people with “enough” money who weren’t happy either. They were always worried about losing what they had or wishing they had even more. The antidote then is actually the same for both problems: finding contentment at whatever your level of money. While you do that, I still think it’s wise to heed the advice in this article and create the financial margins in your life to help everyone sleep better at night.

Finding Freedom In Money Matters

Getting ahead with money isn’t about being rich, it’s about using money as a tool to support the life you want to live. Whether your values include relationships, adventure, or philanthropy, making intentional money choices can multiply those areas over the long run. Money is not the end goal, of course, but rather a means to create the margins in your life to focus on what really matters.

The earlier you start on this path, the better. Small, consistent decisions compound over time, creating a snowball effect that can significantly impact your future. But it’s never too late to begin, and it’s always a good idea to be more intentional about how you use your resources. Money won’t solve all your problems, but a solid financial foundation gives you more options and less stress. Why not take control of your money today and start investing in a life you’ll be glad to have lived?