A Money System For Practical Spending and Stress Free Saving
How To Organize Your Cash Flow For Retirement Success
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Most women enter their 40s and 50s juggling multiple expenses, goals, and responsibilities, all while trying to hold everything in their head. No wonder retirement feels confusing.
In this episode, I’m breaking down Phase Two of the Retirement Ready Framework: Your Money Systems so you can finally stop mentally budgeting, stop guessing, and start using a simple, repeatable structure that keeps your money organized with far less effort.
If you’re over 40 and feeling unsure about whether you’re on track for retirement, this episode will give you the clarity you’ve been missing.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why mental budgeting keeps you stuck (and how to break the cycle)
The three essential money systems you need for retirement readiness
How cash flow systems simplify your daily spending decisions
Why budgeting stops feeling like punishment when the right structure is in place
How to create flexibility for “life happens” moments without derailing your progress
The connection between strong money systems and long-term retirement confidence
The first small step to building a system that supports your goals now and later
Ready to take the guesswork out of your money? Grab a free Retirement Clarity Call and let’s explore how a practical money system can support your savings, spending, and retirement goals.
Unedited Transcription of Episode:
Welcome to today's episode, part two of four. We did. The overview. We did part one last week, so this is part two. And what I'm talking about in case you're new here is there are four phases in my retirement ready framework, and today we're talking about phase two, which is your money systems. So if you missed part one, go listen to that last week.
If you want a quick overview, that will be the week before. And again, next week we're diving into three and then four. So stay tuned. Lots of fun diving into. All of the things that help you get to retirement. So why do systems matter more than willpower? Now, if you remember, I recently did an episode about discipline discipline.
Willpower. Willpower probably has a better definition. I didn't look it up like I did. Discipline where it's really not a great word to use. So go find that episode. I'll link it down below. But anyways, when you are relying on willpower, some of this shows up as, okay, I'm just managing the money in my head, right?
I'm keeping track of, oh, I just spent here and I just spent there. Do you not already have enough to worry about? The mental load of adding that on. And keeping track of that and really relying on your bank balance. Balance does not work, right? If you're like, okay, I've done this, I've done that, I should have $500 left over that I can then move into savings.
You are not going to have $500 to move into savings and you probably can shake your head and agree with me. So relying on your bank balance doesn't work. And you know this is because, I mean things are really quick to the T nowadays, but if you have a subscription coming through and you don't remember, 'cause it's only paid four times a year or whatever, right?
That, that gets a to be a lot of mental math, a lot of mental load. But systems are going to help you create predictability. You're gonna know when that time is for that subscription to come through, and it's going to help you remove decision fatigue. Think about all of the decisions you are making in life today.
Right to survive, I've gotta plan a meal, I've gotta decide where I'm going. I've gotta make that, a doctor's appointment or all of the things, right? Whether it's for yourself, your spouse, your children, whatever it may be, church, it can be anything that you are having to support and create decisions.
So being able to create a system for your money. That simplifies it makes it easy and helps you create predictability. Are you thinking? Yes. Sign me up. Let's dive into what a money system truly is in my phase two of the retirement ready framework. So in your money system, you will have a budget framework.
Now, why am I calling it a budget framework? You have a static piece of paper saying this is all of my money in these categories. This is how much, right? It's all detailed, but we don't need that detail for tracking. So then what we do is we align those categories in large categories and create multiple bank accounts for tracking.
We don't need to do a check register style of transaction history anymore unless you're running a business. Okay. I'm gonna put that little caveat in here for personal, you've got these bank accounts, there's lots of things going on. You can keep receipts if you want, if you're one of those individuals that likes to check off and do all of the things, it's just.
Being able to track with ease and simplicity in the digital age, we've gotta move to the digital age. However, having said that, I still employ a spreadsheet tool that is really going to help you support future planning. Right, so it's gonna have that information on there. We want to make sure our bills get paid, so it's gonna have a simple checklist right there.
And then you're going to be able to start looking ahead and create the future. And as you look at it this spreadsheet tool is going to foster the decisions, well, the phases. Phase three, your money decision, and phase four, your money freedom, right? So understanding this system with all these three things.
As well as one final thing, which is savings, priority savings, priority process. I help clients navigate and create in the very beginning because if you are jumping and avoiding sinking funds in emergency funds, retirement is going to be harder to get to. It's going to feel more elusive. It's going to feel like you don't have enough money.
I had a client who came to me. She was working with a financial planner and he, she was just embarking on retirement and she's, he asked her, how much do you spend every month? And she didn't know. So I helped her create this system as I sat with her, right? We walked through their money reality, we started creating the system.
She had. Not done any immediate savings. So there was no money for home remodels, home repairs, car registrations, the yearly insurance that she had to pay, which was really quite big. Living in Florida, right? So being able to have all of the things in your money system that is going to support your life is what I help you create.
Now the budget is created. Based on what you're currently doing, I don't dive in and say, this is what you have to have. These are the things you need to cut. No. That comes in phase three, right? So we create a budget based off your current efforts. Sometimes having that reality check, you make some adjustments yourself.
You're then going to set up those multiple bank accounts to help you control your spending. And I say control, manage, right? And protect your savings. It's going to guide your spending without controlling it, right? Because we're not saying, well, I only have so much for X, Y, and Z. No, you have this bucket of money that's going to get you from paycheck to paycheck.
So being able to have this quick eye, this quick look, and then being able to have a spreadsheet tool that really starts. Helping you look ahead, plan for the future really gives you that now and later solid equation, right? Being able to have enough now, saving enough for later, and not really having to be restricted on either end of it, along with the money system you are going to create payday moves and a money routine.
You'll know exactly what you need to do every payday, right? And it is not going to take a lot of time, honestly. It will take 10 minutes or less. Then you're going to set up a money routine, and if you are. Managing money with a spouse, you're gonna include a money date. We'll talk about that. We'll explore that.
We'll, you know, make sure that you are keeping track of what is going on, what is happening. 'cause life can happen every so often and you wanna be in tune, touch with your money. You've heard me talk about awareness. It's a soft skill. This kind of help fosters that. Being aware, being, understanding, and exploring some of the things.
You'll know how to handle irregular income if that's you. And variable expenses really leaning into creating this routine. These moves. You'll know how to function from bills to spending to savings. So what are some real life wins that you could have once you have your money systems set up?
That girlfriend's trip just came up and you're like, oh, yeah, I can do that. Here's where I make my shifts. Here's like where I make my adjustments. Now, this really is in phase three, but understanding, setting up these systems really help you develop. Give you control, give you understanding, help you begin to see opportunities, help you begin to see.
Pivots, right? How those are going to really support you in creating. A lot of times I think individuals are being drug along by their money in the sense that they're not looking ahead and they're like, oh, crap, I forgot about that. So they have to give up this, they have to give up that they're really waiting, weighted down by debt because they're like, oh, I almost had it paid off.
Within the sense of, but I'm doing okay, but I just. Can't quite get that ease. This money system will help you get to that point. It's a learning curve for some, it's greater than others, but really having it in place. I had a client who ended up having. Life happened. I think that she was two, three weeks that she wasn't able to, look at her spreadsheet tool kind of do her payday moves.
She quickly did them. She didn't do all of her routine, but when she, we were coaching, she says, you know what, it was okay because I was relying on my other. Tools that I had created and I can come back and quickly fill this out. So money still was in support with her even though life wasn't giving her what she needed at the time.
And we know that is going to happen. So what is a money system? Prevent It is going to help you prevent those surprise expenses derailing your month, right? We just went through Christmas. This is one of those biggest expenses that nobody, you know, plans for, prepares for. Creating a mu money system is going to help you be better prepared for that.
So that's a real obvious one. What about the things that are not obvious? You're like, oh man, either you forgot about it or something new. Something new is going to happen, so the money system is going to help prevent you completely derailing your month, which I know you've had that happen, and so you're just like, what is the use of budgeting, right?
This is going to solve that for you. It's also going to mean that you're going to actually save the money before it disappears. You're going to know, yes, that $500 I have left. Yep. There's actually $600 that I'm going to save. Those are the things that are going to come about from your money system.
All right, so today's action stop. From what I've talked about in your money system to get you going, to get you started, I want you to make a quick budget using three categories. If you've been a long time listener, you've heard me, but have you done this action step? If you haven't a really employee that you'd start today, I want you to create, the first one is going to be Bills.
List of bills total amount. Next one is going to be spending, this is what you frequent, frequently spend on between paydays, fuel, groceries, eating out entertainment, your convenience trips, stops for your coffees, your drinks, your whatever. Have an amount there and then what is left over?
Adding those two, subtracting them from your take home pay, you have a savings amount right there. You have a three category budget that you can start, using and employing and really getting into the. Just of, what is going on with my money? And that's right. There is a really good indicator eyeopener, another step in that money reality.
So I hope you will take that action step today. All right, next episode. We are stepping into phase three. Your money decisions. Mentioned it a little bit in here. It comes off of the tools you need to have these tools in place and know how to use them to really build up those confident decisions. Being able to make decisions.
Even in the sense of having all this information, sometimes it's not the right one, but knowing you made the best decision at the time, I don't know what I would do without all of my systems to get, these unexpected medical bills that I've had in the last the end of last year. And being able to know how to navigate them, what impact it's having on me, what I'm going to do, what I'm preparing, what I'm planning.
That comes from your money systems. Learning how to navigate that is your money decisions. And we'll be diving into that next episode. All right, so learning a system, using a system takes practice. But that's the beauty of a system is that you will start seeing opportunities for growth and adjustment.
And remember, I take you from where you're at creating a budget, and then you get to use it as you're using it. You learn more about who you are, what you are, what you want. So there's no restriction. It's just awareness as you move ahead into your retirement. So if you have any questions from today's episode.
Head on over to Instagram elevate underscore finances where you'll find me, send me your questions, just drop them in the message. Let me know what more you're needing, like you're lost or another step or whatever it is. So I hope you'll head over there to that Instagram. Elevate finances.
Send me a message about today's episode or any other episode, and I'm excited to answer the questions or create additional episodes that cover what you are asking. Thank you for being here, and we'll see you next week.
