Hey y’all.

Not to be dramatic, but today’s tip could change your life. I promise it changed mine.

Release the Guilt of Spending Money on Your Passions

Ever felt guilty for investing in yourself? Same. Recently, I found out that:

• 47% of people feel guilty for treating themselves to a nice meal

• 46% feel guilty when buying clothes

• 16% feel guilty about purchasing health products

• 25% feel guilty about spending money on their passions

Let’s talk about this last one for today.

For so many of us, spending money feels wrong, dangerous, or irresponsible — even when we spend it on meaningful things. And once the cash is handed over, it’s “gone forever.”

But here’s the thing — transactions are just an exchange of value.

When you purchase something, you do so because you believe the product or service you’re receiving is of equal or greater value than the money you spend to receive it. Essentially, you’re making a trade. You pay $50 for a pair of sneakers because they bring value to your life — value that you believe is worth $50 or more.

Why are your passions any different?

When you spend on your passions, the ROI is likely to be even greater. You don’t just receive the immediate value (ie. the fun and happiness that comes from doing your passion), but you invest in the long-term, too.

A passion can quickly turn into an income stream — one that could be a valuable side hustle or free you from the 9 to 5.

So remember, it’s just a trade. You didn’t “lose” the money, you exchanged it for equal or greater value, whether that arrives now or in the future.

Check out this TikTok video to hear a creator break down this concept further.

Helpful Resources

If you aren’t sure what your passion or purpose might be, check out Find Your Why by Simon Sinek. To put it lightly, he’s a genius and his work is transformative.

If you’re like me and you need your this-money-is-for-me-and-me-only fund to be separate from the rest of your money so that you actually spend it on passions, consider opening a high yield savings account or checking account with Ally. They’ve got a bucket feature that allows you to divide up your money within one account. 🤌

Featured Opportunities

Here’s a few sweet gigs I found this week:

Freelance WordPress Developer

Need advanced CSS and design experience.

Part-Time Sales Rep

Work with RestauRent, a fast-growing startup. Need some sales experience.

Freelance Designer for Food/Bev

Various print and digital pieces on a monthly basis. Need “solid illustration skills.”

Freelance Graphic Designer at Revivn

Electronic recycling startup. Looking for someone for 30-40 hours/week.

Freelance Marketing Specialist

Social media marketing work. Light content development, repurposing, and video editing.

Want to see a specific type of work? Just let us know.

And want more to see more job opps? Peep at the end.

What I’m Thinking About

Last week, I mentioned that I finished reading The Pathless Path. I’m still reflecting on this book, because there were a ton of gems dropped in it.

One interesting fact — in America, one of the strongest wage-based societies, only around 40% of adult Americans have jobs where they work more than 35 hours per week.

So, yeah… your dream of working less than full-time isn’t as far out of reach as you might think. What would you need to do to afford working less? (We’ll talk about this more next week.)

See ya next week,

Grace