One of my good friends is one of the most generous people I know. Always coming up with very personalized gifts for our mutual friends on special occasions. He seems to always put effort and heart into every single gift he gives. At the same time, he is also really good at taking time out of his busy schedule to do things for himself like go solo traveling every few months. How can he afford to be kind to others and himself on such a regular basis?

His secret is budgeting.  Here are 5 ways you/we can begin to budget in a way that spreads joy to ourselves and others.

• Every month –  put away money within your budget
• Create a generosity tracker in excel or google docs: Here you can track how much you have spent on giving a gift ( within your finances) to someone else and to yourself
• Give out of a cheerful heart. If you decide to give someone a gift ( e.g a box of herbal tea, chocolate or a trip to the cinema) give because you want to not because you have to.

Some people might be struggling financially, so putting money aside to buy someone a gift or themselves a gift might not be ideal right now. However, budget aside time instead to help someone in a different way that does not comprise of money.  Also – finding time to exercise will also be a pretty good investment in the long run for oneself.

One life – live it kinder

Charlotte x