The attitude of having enough instead of not having enough.

I came across a blog I had never heard of today written by Danielle LaPorte. She had a great post listing her money perspectives and practices.  I am really trying to figure out and fix my relationship with money, and this helped. I do not practice everything she does, but several items on her list really spoke to me-


From Danielle LaPorte:

"When you get it, don’t spend it right away. Wait to cash your cheque. Hold on to the savings as long as you can. It sends a message to your psyche that you always have enough, that there is no need to be desperate, and that you have something to look forward to. Restraint makes for good foreplay which makes for good...release.

This one helps me to realize that just because you can spend it, you don't need to. You can keep money not based on fear that you will lose it someday, but because you have plenty and you are picky about what you want and can wait to get it. 

"I pay my bills as soon as they arrive and I say thank you to every bill, even the whopping dental expenses just had, "I'm so glad I have the means to take care of this."

I do try to be thankful I can afford health insurance and car insurance, a nice car that is reliable and smells new(ish). 

" I rarely think of money as lost or wasted – a less than stellar meal, a broken gadget that didn't last long, bad business debt...it's all feeding someone somewhere, the money will come back again, and complaining keeps you stuck."

I take this one a bit further and always try to find the lesson. If I have a bad meal somewhere, I have learned that I can cross that place of my list of restaurants. If  I buy an item that breaks, I have learned that I won't buy that brand again, and can narrow down my choices in the future. 

" I never, ever say I can't afford it. Rather, "Buying a yacht is just not what I want to do with my money, darling." Focus on priorities, not limitations. And I never say to my kid that we can't afford things. I tell him we're rich in love and life, and we can afford to be generous. When he wants to buy crappy overpriced plastic toys, I say, "That's not the best use of our good money, we'll find something that's better for you and the planet." He gets it, (that said, he has enough Lego to build a large condo.)"

I like this one as well. It goes back to being picky. There is nothing wrong with being picky so you make sure you get what you want. I like to ask myself the following: "If I could afford this, would I want this?" and the answer is often no.