I'm behind on getting my workflow site up and going. (Yes, I know. Irony.)
I emailed this out a few minutes ago to the workflow list:
A Single Post-It Note Can Save You $27/mo.
I'm doing taxes today. That means organizing all of my finances from 2011 into categories.
As I look through the long list of credit card transactions, I've noticed something very different than from 2010.
This year, I have far less "oh crap, I need to cancel that" subscriptions.
Here's why:
I have a sheet of paper hanging on my wall. Anytime I sign up for something that re-occurs, I write that on a post-it note, and put it on the sheet of paper.
It is always in front of me.
Every time I look at it, I have to ask myself, "Do I really need to be spending $27/mo for that [whatever seemed like a cool tool at the moment]?"
It makes it a lot easier to cancel something I'm not using. And I can use that money to invest in things that are actually providing value to me.
Here's the other thing I do that really helps. I use mint.com to keep an eye on my finances. Every morning, I log in and check new transactions. If I see anything that is out of place, or a subscription I had forgotten about, I force myself to either: 1) cancel it immediately, OR, 2) write it on a post-it note and put it on the wall. It's one or the other.
Now's a great time to get in this habit. It will stop money leaks, and can make a big difference in your cash flow.
Lastly, by this time in January, you should have your Goal set for the year, as well as the Strategy to achieve your goal, and the Action plan to implement your strategy.
If you haven't watched the video on how to do this, you can view it here:
http://www.screencast.com/t/q3k10MGY
Next week, I'm going to provide more detail on how to move from strategy to action plan. In particular, I'll show you how to systematically go about eliminating the barriers preventing you from reaching your goal.
As always, feel free to reach out with questions, comments, etc.
Walter Reade
SmarterWave.com
Thanks Walter - Definitely gonna check this out!
Good tip! Especially for those weird services who bill on awkward schedules.
Could have sworn I signed up for your newsletter ... where can I find the opt-in form?
I so have to do this....... these things eat away at your bank account
Top tip. Thank you Walter. It's the small organisational things that can really add up if we don't remind ourselves or have someone else remind us.