Obviously, money affects all areas of our lives. The trick is not to make your decisions based solely on the money. The process of making financial decisions begins with you – your values, priorities, goals, preferences and desires. Then your circumstances, situation and specifics about where you are and what you currently have in place need to be considered. Then you need to mentally take money out of the equation – pretend that it exists in infinite supply.

What would you do if you knew money was always going to be available to do what you wanted, when you wanted to do it? Seriously!! And, when you have done that, put a price tag on your decisions. For example, if you see a beautiful home, don’t simply say, “I will never be able to live there”, or “I would love to live there”. Instead, take your calculator and figure out a monthly payment for the house so you now have a reference point that is based on cash flow. Next, visually step inside the house and imagine yourself living there, visiting with your friends, having breakfast, and carrying on day-to-day life. This will help you put your financial decisions into a dollar and cents format as well as keep them based on who you are and how you live your life.