I have a confession to make.
I used to be TERRIBLE when it came to handling my money. Like, really fucking terrible.
I mean, yeah, I am the type of person to be super duper hard on myself and hold myself to high standards, so I may be being dramatic here, but compared to my current standards of living, my financials were a fucking DISASTER.
For YEARS.
I never learned about it growing up. As a whole, we were comfortable. I lived a great life full of private lessons, tutors, new clothes, new furniture for my bedroom…but at the same time, there was also always a super hectic, scared, stressful, anxiety-filled energy around finances in my household.
That’s all my parents would ever argue about. The environment in which I grew up was that money was a scarcity (untrue), you had to work hard for it (partially true), and that other people who had a lot of it were very different from me (untrue).
I don’t blame anybody for this whatsoever. PLENTY of people have this attitude. If it’s all you know to be true, then that’s your reality until you decide to change it.
Some lucky humans are born into this existence, and the rest of us who want to get there have to put in a lot of fucking time and effort to basically rewire our brains. It is what it is.
Needless to say, this entire experience made me absolutely terrified of money because I saw what it did to my family. So I avoided learning about it at all costs.
I at least always understood that you had to work hard for it, and got my first job at 14 coaching figure skating, but I never understood how to properly manage it. I was the girl who at 18 got her first credit card and used it like a gift card at Abercrombie and Fitch, proceeding to max it out and pretend it never happened for a few YEARS after, until I realized one day how dumb it was that I was not only letting all this unnecessary interest build up, but I was also singlehandedly fucking up my credit score.
I can go on and on about all the dumb shit I did when it came to my finances on the hot mess express train that was for the most part my entire 20’s. Like way overspending on a car that I didn’t know how to negotiate for.
Like agreeing to terms on contracts that I didn’t properly read the fine print.
Like not using a credit card with points for YEARS and therefore missing out on thousands of FREE airfare miles. Stuff like that.
The GOOD news is, I’m WAY beyond that period of my life (thank GOD). I woke up one day, decided enough was enough, hired a couple incredible financial coaches who were living the lifestyle that I wanted to live, took some online courses, listened to money management podcasts, and basically made it my mission to be one rich bitch.
When I left my 9-5 job in 2013, I did it with the intention that I would one day be able to give myself the luxurious life that I had never had. That I would be able to live a REALLY great life, be able to take care of the people closest to me, be able to have the power to DECIDE what I wanted to do as well as have the FREEDOM to live my life exactly as I wanted to, be able to create and help people in all the ways I knew possible, be able to give back to causes that I’m passionate about…the list goes on forever.
I basically realized that the path I was on was not going to take me to where I wanted to go, so I had to switch gears and get on a new one.
What I find both funny and fascinating about finances is that it’s similar to porn: it’s a part of everybody’s life yet many people are hesitant to openly discuss it.
I’m thrilled to say that I am now, finally, on my perfect path, and while I’m a work in progress (aren’t we all?!) all the little baby steps I’m taking now are adding up to give me the secure, fun, and fabulously abundant life I desire.
Here are the dirty details as to what’s made stacking paper foolproof and EASY AF for me.
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LEARN HOW TO SAY NO.
I live in LA. There is ALWAYS a TON of stuff to do in LA. Every single day and every single night, indefinitely. I get invited to do a lot of this stuff. Hell, I get invited to do stuff OUT of the city, too.
99% of which I turn down.
Why?
Aside from the fact that I’m introverted by nature, time is my most valuable resource. I will never, ever, EVER get my time back.
Being extremely picky with my time gives me MORE time to think of MORE ways to make money, and act on them.
I follow the “it’s either a hell yes or it’s a no” rule when it comes to activities. As in, if someone asks me to do something and my initial gut instinct isn’t over the moon excited enough to say “HELL YES!“ then I politely decline.
If I don’t feel initially excited and feel like I “have to” do something for the sake of doing it because I feel like I’m supposed to, then that’s a massive red flag that it’s not a good fit.
You are being of absolute zero service to yourself or others if you say yes to things you don’t really want to do, which usually means you show up being semi-there because your brain is somewhere else and you’re agitated you “had” to show up.
Nobody wants to be around a person like that! Save your “YESes” for only REALLY dope shit that you WANT to do, and treat your time like the gold it is.
Trust me, you’re doing everybody a favor by only engaging in what lights you up.
2. AWARENESS.
Once upon a time, I would check my bank accounts every so often only to make sure I had enough to cover expenses and then not bother again until I paid my bills. Rinse and repeat.
This is obviously a terrible (and dangerous) habit.
The ingredient I was missing here was awareness. As in, being extremely aware of exactly where my money was going.
I do a proper comb-through on all my accounts around once a week just to make sure I don’t have any weird charges I don’t remember or autopays on stuff like subscription services I no longer care about.
I usually always find SOMETHING. Like, I was recently double charged by my eyelash extension place on accident and would never have known this without checking! I was also recently TRIPLE charged by a business service I use for $300!
You bet I called them immediately and got my $600 back. Last week I discovered I still had a few Amazon “Subscribe and Saves” being shipped out to my place in LA (I’m currently in my home state of NY for lockdown) which I quickly cancelled and was refunded.
The list goes on.
Know EXACTLY where your money is going. Not only does it…well, save you money, but the feeling of empowerment that comes with this responsibility is pretty damn great.
3. APPS.
I have two money saving apps that I’m completely obsessed with. The way I do life is “make everything as easy for myself as possible.” Like, what’s the point of being stressed and worrying over something that can be easily automated so you don’t have to think about it? (I automate all my bills as well).
But anyways, these two apps have been a godsend for me for stacking paper. Here they are:
Digit:
This is the app that’s helping me set aside cash money for two future homes, future cosmetic procedures (because lord knows eventually my silicone tits need to be replaced. Or removed. I’m 100% going to want a face lift when I’m old and wrinkled. Maybe I’ll even decide to get bolt-ons. Might as well prepare now!) as well as a couple accounts for emergencies and fun money for a random celebration splurge when I hit a business goal. Like a designer backpack or a cool trip.
Whatever I feel like. Digit connects to your bank account and analyzes your income and spending patterns, so it teaches itself how much is safe to save.
It automatically takes out money every few days, and it adds up. QUICK!
Click here if you wanna start stacking for your dream house in Aspen, your perfect man cave or vacation to scuba dive in Bali. Whatever floats your boat.
Acorns:
This app is really cool because it has graphs that let you see how much money you’ll have each year based on how much you’re putting away now. It’s insane how much of a drastic difference putting away even $200 a month can make for your future old-person self.
Like, an extra $50,000 difference.
IDK about you but my future self is gonna be REALLY fucking happy with an extra $50,000. Not only that, but it also allows you to invest your funds into a portfolio of choice.
Mine is currently on the riskier side because I’m still young, with more stocks than anything, but this is completely customizable.
You can also create your own emergency savings account with this app, and what I REALLY love about it are the “roundups,” which means you can take random change from charges on your accounts and stash it into savings.
Click here if you’re ready to join the party and STACK YOUR MF CASH.
4. FIGURE OUT HOW TO CASH OUT ON STUFF YOU ALREADY LOVE.
I have a saying that I repeat to myself all day, every day: “Everything I do is monetized.”
This means that I ALWAYS prioritize making money, whether it’s for RIGHT NOW or for the long haul.
This is my default mode at ALL times.
And guess what? I have ZERO shame in sharing this.
Having a fuck ton of money means I get to have the freedom to live life exactly as I want to. It means I can create things for other people that will be tremendously helpful to them.
It means I can contribute to the world at a high level of service. The more I make, the more the world benefits. I think people underestimate themselves and their abilities to do this.
By, like, a LOT.
And BTW, just because you may work a traditional 9-5 which is your only source of income doesn’t mean you’re limited to just that one stream of income. By any means.
No matter what your background is, there are billion and one ways to make money as well as save it. You just have to get creative with it, be willing to think wayyy outside the box, and ASK for what you want.
I cannot even begin to tell you all the random wonderful things that have happened in my life simply from me reaching out and asking.
For example, it’s no secret I’ve had a fuck ton of cosmetic work done to myself and will continue to get a fuck ton of cosmetic work done to myself for the rest of my life.
And let me tell you, syringes of facial filler at $600 a pop all over one’s face year after year gets expensive.
So one day I decided to slide into my local medspa’s DMs just to see what would happen, and now we have a beautiful long-lasting relationship in which I go in and get my filler and botox and all my fabulous skincare treatments at no cost.
In return, I pimp them out all over my social media. So now I am no longer spending thousands of dollars a year on cosmetic work.
Are there parts of your life that you’re spending money on that you could exchange your services for instead? The key here is to GET CREATIVE.
I’ve also recently been going IN on affiliate marketing. Like, there’s this one cannabis delivery service in LA that I use ALL the time for my edibles, so of course it makes sense for me to share my affiliate link on my social media anytime it makes sense.
I give people credit to use a dope service, and I GET credit to use with said dope service. Everybody wins!
And, PS, just because you may not have a million followers doesn’t mean this won’t work for you. Don’t make excuses for yourself!
People are social creatures and always want a piece of the pie. As in, a piece of whatever their friends are currently raving about. I only share products/services with my followers that I personally know, use and AM OBSESSED WITH myself.
So it’s gotta be the real deal. You can share affiliate links on Facebook to your 200 friends and still be able to earn money and/or credit towards your favorite products/services that you would be spending money on anyways.
Do you have any holy grail cash stacking tips? Fill me in.
Now let’s all enjoy the fuck out of life with a fuck ton of money together, k? And fuck anybody who tries to tell you this mentality is anything but fabulous. Seriously.
xo, al