11 Financial Habits of Successful Women

Recently I talked about the 11 Habits of Successful Women that are integral in helping them achieve their success. I also discussed that a successful woman is financially savvy and knows the ins and outs of her finances. This point is so incredibly important it deserves a post of its own.

Whether you’re successful in your career, as a mother or in your relationships, there are 11 Financial Habits of Successful Women that help her keep her finances sorted.

1 – She knows exactly what her income is and where it comes from.

How much did you get paid last week, month, year? Do you earn money from shares or interest accounts? Do you know how much? What about all the little things that you sell on Facebook groups? Do you keep track of those too?

A successful woman knows exactly how much money she has earned and where it has come from, not just what income she gets from her job.

She accounts for it all and makes sure every cent she earns is working as best as it can for her. She knows that by understanding where her money comes from, she can have a better hold on her finances and nothing is a surprise anymore.

2 – She knows all of her expenses, when they are due and has limited nasty surprises.

A successful woman never pays late fees because she is organised and knows what is due and when. She knows her water bill is due in two weeks and has budgeted for it, she knows that she has her business registration fees due at the start of every month and they are always paid on time.

She avoids nasty surprises as much as she can but knows they do pop up and guess what? She has a budget for that too.

She also knows that automating her bills is the most efficient way to do this. She doesn’t have to waste mental energy thinking about what is due when because it’s already all taken care of. She can even automate her savings so all the work is done for her.

3 – She never lives a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget.

A successful woman never lives on credit – she doesn’t purchase above her means and certainly does not live a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget.

She understands that this is just an appearance of wealth and she has no desire for that, she is motivated by actual wealth and knows that means so much more than just the dollar figure in her bank account.

Just because she can buy something, doesn’t mean she should. Anything that she truly desires, she saves for.

4 – She has a budget for each pay and sticks to it.

You know those budget planners that allow just one budget for your whole year? Yeah? Throw them out. When do you EVER have the exact same budget week after week?

Even if you’re lucky enough to have a stable pay, your expenses change. Electricity due? Planning a trip away and need to budget extra diesel? Perhaps you’re going out to dinner on the weekend with your family and need to add that expense in?

Budgets that are realistic and account for every known expense are far easier to stick to and allow the most financial control.

A successful woman has her core budget down pat and adds the extra’s she needs to add each pay. She knows how imporatant it is to know exactly what’s happening with her finances so she isn’t flying blind.

5 – She pays off her most expensive debts first.

A successful woman knows how much her debts are costing her and pays the most expensive ones off first. She also knows the difference between debt with the most owing and debt that is costing the most money.

While some advice is to pay your smallest debt first and then roll that into the next and keep going, a successful woman evaluates her debts and works out which one is costing her the most, and eliminates that one first. She has a plan and she works towards making her financial freedom possible.

6 – She understands the importance of investing in herself.

A successful woman knows her value, she knows how important it is to invest in herself and allows for this in her budget.

While it can be easy to get caught up in sticking to a strict budget and not spending any money on herself, a successful woman knows this makes her less likely to actually stick to her budget for a long period of time.

She rewards herself when she reaches financial goals and allows money for herself in her budget – even if it is as simple as a magazine and manicure. She knows how important it is to feel good in herself.

7 – She avoids unnecessary expenses and cuts back where possible.

A successful woman knows that she can easily save in excess of $25 a week from simply making a coffee for herself at home instead of picking one up on the way to work. She buys her favourite beauty supplies when they are on sale instead of paying full price and she fuels up on a Tuesday because she knows diesel is cheapest that day. She never has to pay late fees because her bills are always paid on time.

A successful woman has far too many important things to invest her money in rather than spending unnecessarily.

She doesn’t have to be frugal, she just has to be savvy. She’s still luxe when she wants to be, she’s just smart about it.

8 – She understands that just because you can afford it, it doesn’t mean you should purchase it.

Just because you CAN afford to buy the latest Coach handbag, new iPhone, coffee every day or other lavish items… doesn’t necessarily mean that you should purchase it. We all should have treat items and purchase the occasional bigger ticket item… but they are occasional and calculated expenses… not frequent and impulsive purchases.

Instead, she uses these bigger purchases as motivation and reward. Instead of buying whatever she wants, whenever she wants, she uses them as rewards for when she achieves her goals.

9 – She has savings.

And she contributes to them regularly. A successful woman knows she needs a backup plan, she knows that sometimes unexpected things happen that could possibly leave her without an income for a period of time, or an emergency could come up which could require a big outlay on her behalf. Whatever the circumstance, a successful woman is prepared.

She is also smart enough to know that these savings needs to be easily accessible in case of an emergency.

10 – She has money going towards a retirement fund.

And these are separate to her savings. Some countries, like Australia, have a mandatory contribution to retirement funds. Other countries, like the United States, require you to set this up and manage it yourself.

Either way, you should be contributing to your retirement fund from an early age, as in during your 20’s – not waiting until your 50’s to start contributing.

11 – She doesn’t let money control her happiness.

Most importantly of all, she knows that her happiness does not rely on the amount of money in her bank account.