What is an Educational Money Date?
One of the common misconceptions about money dates is that they must be only about budgeting. Budgeting is the reason why many folks get bored with looking at their money. This post will break down educational money dates and why they help you take a break from your money norm.
I don't know about you, but I thought I had to have everything "planned" out when I first started budgeting. I would read a budgeting book. Download an app. I would map on my calendar, which is the first day to rest in my new life. I would attend money seminars only to find myself BORED OUT OF MY MIND. I knew I wanted to understand my money, but it got overwhelming because I was trying to be a perfectionist.
With that, perfectionism was a large culprit of failing to understand my money story/ I didn't know how to invest in myself, and I didn’t know how to ask for help.
I tried to perfect my money habits but not forgive myself if I made a mistake with my budget. Like the stock market, there are ebbs and flows with the market, so are our money habits—this way, we should make money dates.
Money dates are a way to create a new relationship with your money. A Money Date is an act of setting your schedule weekly, monthly, and quarterly to look at your money.
The ultimate goal for money dates is to create a habit of looking at your money. Also, money dates sound better than budgeting because of the word association. When most people look at the budget, they cringe. We have a negative emotion around the word budget. Money Dates don't have to be one type of budgeting meeting; they can handle various things. There are four money dates that you can have throughout the month.
Planning Dates- The budgeting, checking net-worth
Guidance Dates- Asking for financial help.
Inspiration Dates- Finding your financial dreams
Education Dates- Researching your money goals.
Education Dates
Education Dates is the act of learning about money and growing your money brain. Learning about cash via Youtube Videos, books, courses are necessary for your growth. When you plan for the reading, money articles and budget bloggers will increase your knowledge and curiosity about money. Some of the Education Dates might entail the following:
Read books about money.
Learn about negotiation skills
Learn more about your dream job
Researching Financial Tribes
How can I start an Education Money Date?
Starting an educational money date requires carving out a small portion of the week to learn about money. You can read a book or listen to a podcast. It’s that simple. Let’s take Tina for an example.
Tina is a passionate 27-year-old tech salesperson. She knows that she wants to pay off her student loan debt but doesn’t know where to start. Tina asks her friends, and many of them say that they’ll always have student loan debt. She knows that they another way but has no clue how to get her moolah in order. She downloads a financial podcast that helps people solve their student loans.
Three steps to an Educational Money Date
Ask yourself what do I want to learn more about with money?
Find a book, podcast, video, or read an article that talks about your money.
Celebrate that you took time out of your day to learn about it