Are you ready to stop living paycheck to paycheck and start building real financial freedom and peace? You don’t need to earn six figures or give up your daily joys. Learn how simple, doable lifestyle shifts can help you to break free and get started on the fast track to financial freedom.
Every time I open a drawer filled with things I never use: knick-knacks, clothes with tags, half-used gadgets, I think, “There’s my financial freedom… hiding under clutter.” I see this with my coaching clients all the time. We think financial freedom is some huge event or big goal that comes later. But it’s not. It’s about the little shifts we make with our money, our habits, and most importantly, our mindset.
Martha came to me tired and overwhelmed. She had a good job and a steady paycheck, but was somehow never able to get ahead. The credit card balances were creeping up, her car payment was eating into her income, and saving felt impossible. There was nothing left to save at the end of the month. She was doing her best, but like many, she’d never been taught how to get on the fast track to financial freedom. And she was stressed because she had no financial reserves or cushion and always seemed to be juggling things.
Step One: Find the Quick Wins, Sell Stuff, and Pay Off Debt
The first thing Martha and I did? We looked at where she could create some quick breathing room.
She took a weekend to declutter and listed a few pieces of furniture she never really used on Facebook Marketplace. A set of antique chairs from her grandmother, a decorative side table, and some vintage marble lamps she always meant to rewire. They sold faster than she expected, and within a week, she had over $670 in hand. She used that to pay off one of her high-interest credit cards completely. A small win, but a huge shift in energy. She had created momentum to get her started on the fast track to freedom.
Next, we set the rule: Every time you eliminate or lower an ongoing bill, redirect that amount into a Vanguard low-cost index fund. And that’s exactly what she did. She had been paying £72 a month on that credit card, which she now redirected to her IRA as an automatic payment.
Step Two: Automate Saving and Start Investing
Next, Martha set up automatic investing through Vanguard; 10% of every paycheck was deposited directly before she could even touch it. No more “I’ll save if there’s anything left over.” The money moved the moment it hit her account, so she couldn’t see it. The first month, this stings a bit as you readjust, but then you quickly adapt.
And then, amazing things started to happen.
As Martha started saving consistently, she began to attract more money in completely unexpected ways. Her aunt gave her an unexpected $1,000 for her birthday. She used $100 of that to treat herself to a massage and facial (guilt-free!) and sent the other $900 straight into her investment account.
A few months later, she received a pay raise at work. Instead of expanding her lifestyle, she immediately increased her automatic monthly investment contributions.
Step Three: A Smarter Car Trade: Lower Payments, Bigger Gains
One of the biggest drains on Martha’s budget was her SUV, which was expensive to fuel, insure, and maintain. She wasn’t ready to give up the freedom of having a car, and she didn’t have the cash to buy one outright. So she traded in the SUV and got a reliable, fuel-efficient, used car, still financed, but with a significantly smaller payment.
Here’s what changed: Her monthly car payment dropped by $316. Her insurance premiums dropped by $40/month. And her gas bill was lower.
That’s about $400/month saved, without giving up the freedom or comfort she valued. She immediately increased her Vanguard investment by the exact same amount.
Step Four: Pack a Lunch and Grow Your Net Worth
Next, we tackled the sneaky daily money leaks, those daily lunches and coffees out.
Martha realized she was spending about $20/day eating out and grabbing coffee on the go. She committed to packing lunch and brewing at home, which ended up saving her approximately $320/month. That number floored her. She still had the occasional lunch out to meet with a friend or colleague, but viewed those as special treats. Or she’d meet a friend in the park and bring her packed lunch with her.
Again, she didn’t just “save” it; she redirected the $320 a month to her investments as an automatic payment to help fast track her way to freedom.
Step Five: Simple Wardrobe Swap = $40/Month Gained
Dry-cleaning was another stealthy expense. Martha went through her closet, donated most of the dry-clean-only clothes, and vowed to only buy easy-to-maintain clothes in the future. This simple change saved her $40/month, and again went straight into her Vanguard account.
Step Six: Cut the Subscriptions
We did one more sweep, this time of her monthly subscriptions. Streaming services, app memberships, and a gym she rarely used. In total, she trimmed $45/month. Now every expense she cut turned directly into an investment in her future.
She was stunned by how a few simple adjustments had turned around her financial situation, and she was now on the fast track for financial freedom. The quality of her life hadn’t dramatically changed; she still had reliable transportation in a used car and her morning coffee. But now she had created real momentum and could see her balances growing every month. She could see that she was now building a secure financial future, the stress was gone, and she knew she could achieve the financial freedom she had previously thought unattainable.
You Can Do This Too
Martha’s story is inspiring because it’s not extreme. You can tweak your lifestyle and start investing in your future while increasing the quality of your life.
Martha didn’t move to a cabin in the woods. She didn’t give up her car or cancel every pleasure in life. In fact, she added some expenses that gave her greater joy, like having a bi-monthly house cleaner. She just made a series of smart, conscious choices. She used her money with intention and started treating herself like someone worthy of wealth. And the universe took notice, and she started attracting even more money.
Ready to Get on the Fast Track to Financial Freedom?
You don’t have to wait. You don’t have to earn more (although that does help); you can get on the path to financial freedom today, wherever you are right now.
Start by making a few smart shifts. If you still want a daily latte, that’s fine, but look at getting rid of the big car payment. Some find that cutting the big ticket items like the mortgage, rent, or car payment may be easier than making lots of little cuts. You can do what works best for you. Start directing your money where you want it to go.
Resources:
Take the first step with my Financial Independence, Retire Early online course. It’s packed with strategies that actually work and will guide you to the same kind of peace and power Martha now enjoys.
Financial Mentor’s Ultimate Retirement Calculator: Use this fairly simple online calculator to find out how much you actually need to be saving every month to fast track your way to financial freedom.
