Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and throughout the month of November, it seems like we’re reminded constantly to find things to be thankful for. Billboards to paper dinner napkins proclaim “Be grateful” and “So thankful.”
But when you look at your checkbook balance in the weeks prior to the spending season of Christmas, it can be difficult to feel thankful about money or find things to be thankful for.
Even in this season of thanksgiving, it can be easy to feel bitter and resentful about not having enough.
For a long time in my life, I definitely did not feel thankful when it came to money. I felt like I never had enough money, and even when I got money, it seemed to disappear to unexpected bills or expenses.
Today, though, I am definitely thankful for money – and developing a better money attitude means that when money comes my way, I am more grateful than ever.
Focusing on my money mindset and becoming thankful for money was one way that I helped to turn around my money mindset and learn how to find things to be thankful for.
So as we head into November, here are a few strategies I’ve learned that you can use to learn how to be thankful for money.
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Finding Things to Be Thankful For: Look Around You
Being thankful for money means living in the moment and looking around at where you are right this second. Things you could be thankful for include:
- Being warm and indoors or being cool and indoors
- Having a car or other form of transportation
- Enjoying the feeling of food in your belly and in your cupboards and fridge
- Having a hot cup of coffee in your hands
- Knowing you could visit the doctor if you needed to
- Being able to turn on the lights when it’s dark
The things you’re thankful for don’t have to be expensive or complicated. You can be thankful for the everyday things that money brings into your life, like food or water.
No matter where you’re at in your money journey, take the time every day to look around you and practice gratitude. It’s a critical step in your ability to be thankful for money.
Remember Your Money Experiences
When my husband and I were newlyweds living on a military base while I went to college, we spent our way into a pile of debt. It took us years to dig out of it and meant delaying investing for retirement and our child’s education until we repaid it all.
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But without those experiences, without knowing how to dig out of a hole and emerge stronger, I’m not sure we’d be so good with money today. I’m not certain we’d be saving as much as we are now.
Perhaps if we hadn’t experienced those sleepless nights, we’d be recreating them now, when we’re so much older and have less time to rectify our mistakes.
I am truly thankful for the money experiences I’ve had that have brought me to where I am today.
Change Your Perspective
If you struggle to feel good about money, put yourself in the shoes of someone whose worse off than you financially.
Do worries about buying a new car to replace your old one plague you? How would you feel if you didn’t have enough to get to work?
Maybe you’re feeling sorry for yourself because your budget doesn’t allow for an overseas trip this year. You may feel more thankful if you consider a friend who’s struggling to pay for a family member’s health care expenses.
Developing a sense of empathy for others’ financial situations can make you realize that you’re thankful for the amount of money you do have.
Write Down Your Gratitude
Starting a gratitude journal that you use regularly can be an excellent way to focus on your thankfulness for the money in your life. Jotting down the things to be thankful for definitely increases your well being.
Don’t think your gratitude journal has to be some fancy thing – it can be a simple as an index card or dollar store notebook. Here are a few gratitude journals from Amazon that work great for recording your money thoughts.
One thing that works for me is to place my gratitude journal by my bed. Each night before I go to sleep, I jot down at least three money things I’m thankful for. This practice is not only helpful because you can look back and see all the benefits money has brought to your life. I find that the positive money feelings I have after writing things down relieves any daytime anxiety and helps me sleep better, too.
Talk about Your Money Wins
It’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of money negativity – where everything about money is bad, hard, difficult, and frustrating.
Begin to become thankful for money by giving voice to your money wins every day. When you sit down at the dinner table, talk about how you saved 15% using coupons at the grocery store that day or how you’re so grateful you had the money saved to pay for new tires. You can talk about the things money has allowed you to do in your life.
Focusing on the good money things that have happened to you is another way to be thankful for money.
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