Budgeting That Actually Feels Uplifting
Tulix Team
Budgeting should be fun. Yes, you read that right.
Why do we look for money in the first place? To pay bills, buy food (read stay alive), invest in the future and, if we’re lucky, maybe go on vacation.
Bills don’t sound exciting but electricity and WiFi make remote work a reality, school fees prepares your kids to take care of themselves (eventually) and fuel lets you run errands that allow you to make an income.
We’re constantly spending money that we’re afraid of looking at and this may have a lot to do with the first two parts of our money journey: money stories and money scripts.
Budgeting the Empathetic Way
We’re not sharing the definition of a budget or how it can lead you to financial freedom— chances are you already know all this and have been trying to be consistent.
At Tulix we’re extremely passionate about problem-solving for root causes. It’s easier to tell you to download the app and use Jars to track your expenses (and we will), but it’s more important for you to understand your beliefs about money first.
We started Tulix to help Africans abroad maintain financial ties with their people back home. As we engaged with our customers we realised a lot of people couldn’t talk about money without referring to some relationship in their life - romantic partners, friends and family. So we decided to make Tulix the smartest way to manage money in Africa, targeting these money relationships starting with your individual relationship with money.
We came up with the “Money Journey” framework to help you map out different formative experiences that shape your values and what you choose to spend money on. Here’s a breakdown using Wairimu’s money journey:
You’re probably wondering, “What does all this have to do with budgeting?”. Fair question.
Realistic Goals Are Easier to Stick With
Financial freedom looks different depending on your obligations, goals and the reality of your life at that time. The tweet below really puts this into perspective.
As you look into the past and identify a money script you’d like to rewrite, life is still happening around you. You may have realised that you spend on things you don’t value to make up for not having enough money growing up. Or maybe you spend money to numb difficult emotions because whenever you brought them up with a caregiver they either gave you money or bought you nice things to avoid discussing your feelings.
In both scenarios cultivating a saving habit is a great way to start taking control of your finances but you may be at a point in life where savings are hard to come by. Creating a value-based budget is a great place to start and will serve you long-term because managing daily expenses keeps you from dipping into your savings.
If you’re new to budgeting you can track an area of your money relationship like being too restrictive using a Tulix Jar as Wairimu does. Or if you’re working towards a specific goal you can create multiple Jars for fuel and equipment like James who’s pursuing a music career.
You don’t need to be a financial expert to get better at budgeting, understand your money journey and plan to spend on the stuff that brings you joy. Hopefully, Tulix can make it a rewarding and empowering experience for you. Learn how to create your first Jar here.