You Have to MAKE the Time

By Melissa TosettiThere will never be enough time.There will never be enough time to do the tasks we don’t want to do, such as canceling an automatic payment for a service we’re no longer using.  Somehow, we always find a way to be too busy to get it done.But, if I’ve learned anything in the last eight years of working with clients, it’s that not making that time can cost you thousands of dollars.A few years ago I worked with a surgeon in Oregon who, was a very busy man and did not have the habit of regularly reviewing his credit card statement.  Because that habit wasn't in place, he spent $200 a month over a two year period for personal training sessions he didn’t remember signing up for.  If he had taken a few minutes to check his statement each month, he would have seen the charges, put a stop to them and saved more than $4,800!  That’s $4,800 that could have been put toward his family’s long-anticipated vacation.After moving out of a house and into an apartment, my friend Gary paid $210 every month for five years to store his “stuff”.  When he finally moved back into a house and went to get his stuff, he decided to go through the items before bringing them home.  Of everything he had stored, he only brought home one file cabinet of business papers and two boxes of photos.  In the end, the rest of the items were just clutter.  Ultimately, he paid $12,600, again, money that could have been spent on something far more fun or productive than clutter.Once you realize just how much money you can save by plugging financial leaks, you’re more likely to gain the motivation to do something about it.  The challenge is then - when?  When are you going to take the time to make that call?Until you actually block time out on your calendar, it’s likely this critical financial task will continue to get pushed off to the next week, then the next month and so on, potentially costing you hundreds to thousands of dollars.If this article has made you think of one or more charges you’ve been meaning to cancel, take a moment right now, pull out your calendar and block out 30 – 60 minutes WITHIN the next week, to take care of this critical task.  For additional motivation to get it done, think about what else you’re going to spend that money on instead!_________________________________________________________________________Melissa Tosetti is the founder of The Savvy Life and author of the international bestseller Living The Savvy Life. For the past eight years, she’s worked with over 525 individuals and families to create Spending Plans.Melissa also works with financial advisors and their clients doing cash flow planning as well as giving over 200 Savvy Living presentations via webinar and in-person to audiences across the U.S.If you’d like to learn more about how Melissa works with clients visit The Savvy Life’s Programs page.If you’d like to learn more about how Melissa works with financial advisors and their clients visit: The Savvy Life Advisor’s Page