When you scroll through social media and see pictures of people buying their dreams homes, picking up a luxury vehicle from the car lot, or spending money on a lavish international vacation it’s easy to feel like you’re behind. That’s one of the downsides of social media - we can feel like we’re not doing enough when in reality, even the small things are major.

Saving your first $1,000. Having enough discipline to save up $1,000 isn’t easy, especially if you’ve never had a consistent saving habit before. And when you consider that 58% of Americans have less than $1,000 in the bank, you’re doing pretty good to get your savings account up to four figures. Pat yourself on the back and get started on your next goal.

Going six months or more without paying an overdraft fee. Americans paid $54 billion in overdraft fees last year. If you’ve over drafted once, you’re more likely to overdraft again. Getting the hang of managing your money and avoiding overdraft fees is worth celebrating.

Gaining credit score points. Raising your credit score is hard work. It takes patience, time, and dedication. It’s a good feeling seeing your credit score going up. Even if your credit score goes from 535 to 570, you’re still making progress. Keep up the good work and you’ll have more credit score gains to celebrate.

Paying off a credit card. When you pay just the minimum on your credit card, your balance will barely budge. You have to pay a large lump sum to your credit card each month to see real progress on your credit card balance. If you’ve been making sacrifices to pay more on your credit card and finally see zero balance, congratulations are in order.

Doing a full credit report check. You can keep up with most of your credit information by using an app like Credit Karma. Still, it doesn’t give you the full picture. At least once a year, you should order all three of your full credit reports and review each item to make sure all the information is accurate. You can get one free copy each year through AnnualCreditReport.com.

Buying your first stock. Millions of Americans aren’t investing in the stock market and young adults are less likely to invest in stocks. Microinvesting apps like Acorns and Robinhood make it easier than ever to invest in stocks at a low cost. There’s risk involved in any investment, stocks included. If you’ve read up on the stock market, decided you want to invest, and finally chosen a stock you think will do well, kudos to you. Investing in your first stock is a huge step.

Staying in your car after it’s paid off. Paying off your car loan is a major step. Many people go right out and buy another new car and never miss the money since they were used to a car payment anyway. If you can hold off on buying a new car for another year or two, you can put the amount of your car payment toward another goal like paying off other debt or saving money.

Making your own coffee, taking your own lunch, or eating leftovers. Eating out is one the biggest expenses for many people. Whether it’s Starbucks or a local coffee shop, that morning coffee just feels so good, but you save so much money by making your own coffee at home. Even if it means investing in an automatic coffee maker. Choosing to save money over convenience is a major step in financial maturity.

Keeping your credit card balance low. The temptation to run up a big credit card balance is too real. But, having a high credit card balance can hurt your credit score and can be tough to pay off. For a good credit score, it’s best to keep your credit card balance below 30% of the credit limit. That’s a $300 balance on a credit card with a $1,000 limit. Having enough self-control to keep a low credit card balance is a major win.

Reading a book on money. You don’t have to stop reading just because you’re no longer in school. If you want a good lesson on finances, pick up a personal finance book. They’re not always the most exciting to read, but you’ll learn a lot about managing money and can start to undo some of the bad financial habits you picked up over the years.

Being good with money isn’t about one big accomplishment, it’s about all the small decisions that you make everyday. Those good choices add up in major ways.

Since the weekends are by far the worst days to grocery shop, on Sundays WE MEAL PLAN!

One thing that’s great about the Luxurious Lifestyle Planner is that it includes a monthly Meal Planner and Grocery Shopping List. This way you can save money by knowing exactly what you plan to buy at the grocery store a head of time and know what meals you’re going to make for the rest of the week.

Most importantly, meal planning can help re-direct the way you eat and change your food buying habits! Imagine being able to save money, not wonder what you’re going to cook the next day and eat healthier!

According to Mealz.com, here are a few reasons why it’s important to meal plan!

You Buy, Prepare & Eat Healthier Food

Education is key when it comes to buying and preparing healthy meals for yourself and your family. And, meal planning is the perfect solution for people who find it difficult to buy healthy food when they go shopping.

When you plan your meals, you become much more organized and become much more aware of the money you are spending on food each week. You will get into the habit of buying what you need, instead of buying what you want.

 It Saves you Money

This means you are less likely to waste money on unnecessary food items such as snacks, sweets and other treats, which is a common problem for shoppers who don't have an organized plan. Meal planning will also reduce the number of times you need to go to a store to buy food, which adds up to a large sum of money over the course of a month.

 Meal Planning Adds Variety to Your Diet

A large number of people eat the same bland, unhealthy food every day. By creating a meal, you get to experiment with different types of food you may never have considered eating. 

 It Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Most people live hectic lives and have a wide range of personal pressures and concerns. Rushing to buy food for your next meal should not be one of these worries. With a planner, you are more likely to buy your food well in advance of the time you will prepare and eat it. This means you will always be prepared for future meals and won't unnecessarily raise your blood pressure levels, panicking about what food to buy for your family's next meal.

The Luxurious Lifestyle Planner is by far one of the biggest achievements of my career. Finally something I wish I had when I was going through my financial and credit hardships.

I wanted to make sure that this planner was of good quality and exceeded everyone’s expectations. Most of all I wanted you all to be engaged and excited about living the Luxurious Lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of. It all starts with organizing, creating a plan and execution. And I promise, you can do it!

I’m so proud of you all and thank you for your purchase and for allowing me to be apart of your Luxurious Lifestyle planning journey!

Arnita Johnson-Hall