This post is 341 words a 2-minute read.
April is Financial Literacy Month. I didn’t know either until I became a money nerd. Since we already talk about finances all the time it means nothing to us.
However, I want to do something a bit different. I have a challenge for you if you choose to accept.
For the next month, I want you to count and (if you are really up to it) document how often you talk with your friends, family, coworkers, random strangers, and essentially anyone about money. But I want you to take note of how you talk about money in two ways:
Way #1
How often are y'all talking about spending money?
It can be discussions about buying something like a new dress, shoes, decoration for the house, tools, vacations, gifts, restaurants, bars, deserts, gas, insurance, etc. Anyway, if you discuss spending money with anyone, I want you to take note of those conversations.
Way #2
How often are y'all talking about making more money, saving, investing, or paying off debt? This can be anything from a discussion on how you are saving for a new car, vacation, or house downpayment. Or it can be you talking about opening a Roth IRA, or investment options. Or plans to pay off student loans, credit cards, etc.
You can use the notes app on your phone and do a tally of each conversation. Similar to the example shown below:
The purpose of the challenge is for us to begin to take note of some of the environmental pressures we face in our finances. It's a part of personal finance that isn't spoken enough about. The way our environment from where we live to who we are surrounded by (aka peer pressure) shapes the way we use and think about our money.
As Winston Churchill says, "We Shape Our Buildings; Thereafter They Shape Us."
I will do weekly checks and report my numbers every week.
Thanks for reading
Generosity>greed