‘Budgeting’ has been on my mind lately :)

These days, I like to refer to budgeting as a ‘Map of Intention’, an ‘Intentional Budgeting Process’ or just ‘Creating a Plan for our Goals’.  Some people like to call it a ‘Spending Plan’, but, to me, that leaves out some of the other important parts of our planning that include our current income goals, saving goals, giving goals, etc.

I now see ‘budgeting’ as an ongoing process that I have a relationship with on a monthly and yearly basis.  It is not static, something I create and then I am bound to stay exactly within those parameters. It is a process where I choose to stay in touch with my budget intentions, at the end of each month, to make sure I am staying in alignment with current values and goals in how I am making my money, spending my money, saving my money, paying off debt, etc.

  And, when I veer off track, I take the time to understand what is working and what is not working and either come back to the same intentions (and try again) or adjust some part of the plan.  I also take the time, to celebrate the parts that are working, improving and the lifestyle I am getting to experience.  And, lastly, I take time to learn about myself along the way: How is my money relationship playing itself out right now? And, how is it affecting my self worth, purpose, relationships..., etc.?

Also, it is a tool that is dependent and shaped by what is happening in our lives, what phase we are at in our lives, what our current goals and priorities are and how much we are bringing in at the time.  So, our budgets will need to be re-vamped or created from scratch again and again when we go through transitions ie: illness, divorce, marriage, having a baby, new job, loss of job, starting a new business, business booming, new goal arises, etc.

How to have new Money Conversations:

Tips on how to set up Money Partners & Money Dates

In my work, I like to support transparency around our relationship and actions with our
finances. I am thrilled when I hear that all of you are initiating new money conversations
with the people closest to you. 

I know that many of us come from families that do not talk about money or some of us
come from families that talk 'too much' about money. We need to find the right balance
here. And, for many of us, it is typically being willing to open up and start sharing
our money experiences in a new way and in a safe way.

And, I don't mean I am encouraging you to start screaming your money story (strengths
or challenges) from the rooftops. But, I am inviting you to find a few, or start with one,
safe person to start having new and different money conversations with.

Who can you imagine feeling comfortable with (or slightly stretching yourself) to talk to
about money in a new way?  A friend, a spouse, a partner, a colleague, a sibling, a parent or a child (of appropriate age), or even a journal to start!

Here are some examples:

Having new money conversations with a sibling and comparing notes on your upbringing and how the similarities and differences have played themselves out in your adult money patterns.

7 Mini Exercises to Help you Determine Your Value & Fees

And, other side notes... :)

As par for the course and par for my 4 month Conscious Bookkeeping, Level 1: Wake UP With Money Tele-Course, many people in the group are grappling with how to value oneself, determine their fees and charge for their services in the world! 

Check out Bari on the cover of Experience Life magazine!

Bari is on the cover of the March 2010 issue~

We're so excited to have Bari as a cover girl in addition to all the other amazing work she does here at CB. If you'd like to take a sneak peek behind the scenes at the shoot, here's your chance in this little video.

Hello everyone! It's a new year, and we are ready to offer you some fun new content.

One of the things that has been buzzing around here is talk about all the options you have nowadays when it comes to being conscious about finance.

Once upon a time, it was the old fashioned pencil and paper. Then we added the ledger and calculator,  then computer accounting software, which led to programs like Quicken, Quickbooks, and others.

I know some of you are credit card free and are committed to never using them again and/or to never starting to use them in the first place and I salute you! I have seen many financially responsible people go to credit cards in the last year with the shifts in the economy or due other significant junctures in our lives (getting sick, having a child, divorcing, losing a job, etc).

Here are a few resources for what do with your current credit cards.

This article in the NY Times by Ron Lieber (was posted back in August 2009) although, it is still very helpful regarding the current credit card changes and it offers some good options for all us:

Hi There~

Lately I have been writing in my blog often....although it happens to only be happening in my head! :)  You see, my little guy, Noah, who is almost 16 months old is really the focus of my life right now, plus trying to sleep and hike and eat some food and oh, yes, get some time with my husband and a few close friends.

While I have my Monday - Wednesday office hours (10 - 14 hours per week), where a nanny is here with Noah. That time is really consumed with teaching my 4 month Wake UP With Money Course (I typically have 1 or 2 going at the same time), seeing some private Financial Therapy clients and then offering some 30 minute free Intake Sessions to provide a sounding board, direction and resources to this community.

Many of us have been hearing about new rules regarding credit cards. It is very important to be clear about what this will mean for each of us who use them.

Many thanks to LeAnne Ozaine Smith of Spend On Purpose, who was kind enough to share the following list translating what the new rules are into language we all can understand.

Check her out at www.spendonpurpose.com

As many of us have, I learned to use Quicken as my Conscious Bookkeeping tool of choice when studying with Bari.

However, since then I have heard a lot about Mint.com and its abilities to help manage money. It looked fancy and tempting, as did moving to an online Quicken app that would let me manage money on the road with my iPhone. What bliss! Making my iPhone my electronic stylie accoutrement? Sounds like paradise.

But how is a conscious bookkeeper to choose among all these options?

I met Patti recently at a networking event in Los Angeles, and loved her specialty: teaching kids to manage money. Don't all of us wish he had had Patti when we were growing up? I was so excited to have her on the site and am delighted to share her guest post today! so now, take it away, Patti! (be sure to read her amazing bio at the bottom, where you can learn about her book: How to ditch your allowance and be richer than your parents)