This post is brought to you by The Huntington National Bank and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
My Financial Journey
Let’s talk FINANCES. Yay! But not really…After all who likes talking about finances?
As a first-generation immigrant, I never had “money” talks. After all, like I’ve said before, my parents had to worry about other things, like putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our heads. There was no time to even discuss finances, but I don’t think my parents even had the resources to do so themselves. So I never did well with money. When you are used to living the way we were, your brain is always in survival mode. And then from there, you spend money on things you don’t need because you’re not used to having it. Living in New York, I learned to make money at an early age, but I also learned to spend it just as quickly as I made it.
Fast forward to college, a marriage, a mortgage, and two kids (wheww, talk about expensive). I am doing a little better with my finances now, but I still have a long way to go. Along the journey, I spent a lot, borrowed way more than I should and it wasn’t until we had to buy a house that I really started taking things seriously. I started spending a little smarter (no more $200 toddler dresses) and cutting down on my spending altogether.
Setting Financial Goals
One of my goals by the end of the year is to be close to debt free, which means paying off all my credit cards…and let’s just say, I’ve got a way to go. My other goals are to really put more effort into building my savings account (in terms of amount), making Diari and Fatima’s finances a priority, and helping my parents relocate to my city. That sounds like a lot and honestly, sometimes I’m overwhelmed by it. But I am learning that with the right tools, nothing is impossible. So, I’m going to list my goals here for accountability:
- Get Debt Free
- Build Savings
- Secure the Kids’ Financial Future
- Relocate my Parents
Huntington Can Help!
I recently opened an account with Huntington Bank. Listen, I never realized how important it was to have tools to help manage money. Learning about all the different resources Huntington has was like a breath of fresh air. Here are some ways that I think Huntington can help you get debt free:
- Learn about how to manage your debt with the Huntington Financial Calculators, which gives you tips for lowering debt.
- Huntington Heads Up® lets you set a monthly budget in different spending categories (groceries, bills, fun, etc.) and then sends you a notification when you’re getting close to your limit to keep you on track. No more overspending!
- The Huntington Savings Goal Getter SM helps you create mini accounts so that you can put money towards up to ten goals you want to save for (a vacation, a car, furniture, emergencies, etc.).
What Are Your Financial Goals?
Financials are hard for most of us. You are not alone! So over the next few months, I want to share tips and tricks about how to make managing our finances a little easier. Stay tuned for the next two phases of the “Let’s Talk About Finances” blog series to learn about saving and investing. In the meantime, check out some of these videos to learn more about how you can use Huntington to get your finances together.
I shared my goals so you can hold me accountable! Now, share some of your financial goals for the year down below! What finance questions do you have? What can I help you with over the next few months, during my relationship with Huntington? Share those below too!
