Benefits of habit “Count your cash”
✓ Increases financial security
✓ Helps develop financial responsibility
✓ Improves purchase planning skills
✓ Reduces need to use credit card
First step:
Once a week
Progress:
1. This morning, before you leave home, count all the cash you have and keep the number in mind. Do it once this week.
2. Next week do it twice.
3. Keep it up until you don’t leave home without knowing how much money you have.
Helpful tips to make it a habit:
✓ Same time is key. Always count your cash in the morning, before leaving home. It will become part of your routine much easier.
✓ Trigger your mind. Keep your wallet somewhere visible for the morning counting routine. It will be easier to remember to do so.
✓ Let the app help. Track the days you missed counting on the calendar. You may also set an alarm on the app to ring as a reminder to count the cash.
✓ Reward yourself. Once you’ve gone a month of successfully counting your cash every day, reward yourself by buying a small treat to celebrate the new, healthy financial routine.
✓ Celebrate small victories. Every time you perform this habit, congratulate yourself! Say “I’m awesome” or “I’m so cool” out loud and with a smile on your face.
Tips for beginners:
✓ Knowledge is power. It’s important to always know how much cash you have. This knowledge will help you make more calculated purchasing decisions and help you keep track of your daily finances.
✓ Skip the credit card. Knowing how much cash you have will help the most in shops that do not accept card. But more than that, it can help to skip on using the credit card. If you know exactly how much cash you have, you will always be able to make an accurate purchasing decision without going in debt.
✓ Set some cash aside. All you daily needs – lunch money, bills, gas, etc. – put the sum of cash you know you will need to spend aside after counting it. That way, you will never run out of money for basic necessities.