Dear Money Adventurer,
Last week marked the beginning of the end of the year for me. I finished my last financial therapy session, held my final office hours call for my Art of Money program, and finished my mentor program small group – all last calls for the year.
On Friday, once everything was officially complete, I went out and got a baguette, a generous wedge of brie, some delicious blackberry jam, and made a celebratory ritual of having lunch at home with my husband.
As the end of the year draws closer, I do all sorts of year-end money rituals.
One is simply making sure I talk with my bookkeeper and my accountant to plan out payroll, get clear on our taxes, and check-in on our retirement contribution numbers. Another ritual, one of my favorites, is connecting with my husband over poulet frites and a glass of pinot noir to honor the year we’ve had, the beauty and challenges of it all. Of course, sitting down to do a full review of the numbers, our business numbers, our personal numbers, and really exploring how it all went down is a ritual, too.
I’ve also been exploring another kind of ritual – researching gift boxes so we can bring you Money Date Ritual Boxes in 2023. I’m so excited about these, so stay tuned for updates!
In the process of my investigations, I came across a gift box full of snacks from around the world. It’s the perfect gift for my teenager because he loves snacks and he loves trying different foods from around the world – I think has a secret food critic inside of him. The box came with a colorful checklist to document your favorite snack, the worst snack, and even the weirdest snack. I loved that idea. It made the whole experience really playful.
As I went into my final week of teaching for the year, I realized it would be great to bring some of that playfulness into my final calls. So, I spontaneously made up some fun and reflective money questions to ask on my Zoom calls.
Creating space for everyone to share their responses, whether out loud or written in the chat, definitely brought us all closer. We learned new things about ourselves, each other, and the money stories we’re writing.
I want this for you, too, so I’m sharing those spontaneous money questions here so you can journal about them privately, bring them on a money date with your partner, or even along to a family dinner.
- What is the biggest, most positive money lesson you learned this year?
- What was your biggest money curveball?
- What would you do differently next year to feel more prepared?
- Name your Top 3 Money Celebrations of 2022
- What was the best thing you bought for yourself?
- What was the best thing you bought for someone else?
- Name – and celebrate! – a money leak that you cleaned up this year.
- What was the weirdest thing you spontaneously/unconsciously did with money this year?
- What is your big money goal or lesson that you know you want to work on for 2023?
I hope these questions help you bring more fun, deeper reflection, and more loving awareness to your year-end money rituals.
Sending you dear holiday wishes,
