Goals can be difficult to achieve, but if we are in the right mindset, we can achieve them. To stay motivated, I found it helpful to listen to podcasts, read newsletters, be around like-minded friends, and join Facebook groups.
I consistently make it a goal of mine to save money on everyday things in order to have a bigger travel budget. Some of the ways I save money are attending clothing swaps, meal planning, and finding free events. I have been to 34 countries to date, and I will be visiting Antarctica and Argentina in November 2019.
One of the best resources I use for learning personal finance is HerMoney Media. HerMoney Media has written content, video, and a podcast on budgeting, investing, and financial planning topics that are specifically geared towards women.
Last year, I joined the HerMoney Facebook group because I was a fan of the podcast and newsletter. In addition, to listening to personal finance topics on the podcast and reading the weekly newsletter, I also wanted to get more advice and to help out others online.
A weekly thread in the HerMoney Facebook group is the #HumbleBrag Friday, where you can say something you are proud of, and it can either be financial or non-financial. The March 1, 2019 #HumbleBrag mentioned that HerMoney would be filming a Happy Hour in the NYC area, and that they were looking for community members. After seeing this post, I reached out to Kelly Hultgren (co-founder and head of partnerships for HerMoney, and the producer of the HerMoney podcast) and was luckily one of the members selected to be in the Happy Hour that would be filmed for the Today Show on NBC.
Filming the Happy Hour was a great experience because I received financial advice and met other HerMoney members in person. I learned that not everyone has the same goals, such as saving for education, mortgage, and travel, but in the end we still have the same goal to save money. It was also helpful to learn how others split their bank accounts with their significant others, and how important it was to not rely on someone else to be entirely in charge of the finances.
To see the Today Show clip, please click here. The women featured in the segment are Pat Moran, Angel Trinh, Narda Chin, Kathryn Farwell, and Larissa Pai.
Jean Chatzky is the financial editor of NBC’s Today Show, an award-winning personal finance journalist, AARP’s personal finance ambassador, and host of the podcast HerMoney with Jean Chatzky on iTunes. Her newest book, Women with Money: The Judgment-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and, Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve can be purchased here.
HerMoney will also be hosting Happy Hours in other cities, which is currently being finalized. To stay updated about personal finance and upcoming Happy Hours, please subscribe to their newsletter, podcast, and join the HerMoney Facebook group.