It was a progression to think differently about money, but you have to start somewhere. It took a while to realize it, but I finally said to myself, “If the path everyone else is taking isn't making them happy… is it time to think differently? Here are the best steps to think about money differently.
Stop saying things like it is only $1 more. If something is $3 and you add $1 it is 25% more. Scale that thinking to larger spending items and you will really start to learn how to stop overspending.
It's only $50 a month, is really $6,000 over the course of 10 years. Make sure you assess your time and reoccurring payments correctly – they all add up in the end!
Make some minor adjustments to how you live and spend money. Don't go cold turkey on your eating out budget – it might actually have reverse effect.
Lauren and I looked at people 10 to 20 years ahead of us and how they lived. When we saw some people in our professions who had what we didn't necessarily want, it motivated us to do more.