It's a minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Finance Daily. Intentional spending. Three simple

questions that will upgrade your finances by Kaylin Bruce of FreedomSprout.com.

This is the most intentional way to spend money. I know I use the word intentional a lot,

including in the title of my new book,

Intentional Children. That's because intentionality means mindfulness. When you're being

intentional about the things you bring into your home, put into your body, and spend your

money on, you're going to see a change in your finances overall. This is a challenge of sorts,

an actionable idea you can try. You can do this for a time period, like a week or month,

or you can commit to doing this from now on for all your future purchases. It works well either

way, and it can be fun. We spend too much money on things we don't even think about.

So this is a way to stop that. Basically, you're going to track everything you buy, just like you

would when you start budgeting. But you're going to actually talk about every single purchase.

If you're married, find a good time for your spouse. If you're single,

find a good time for yourself. Once a week, sit down and do this. Track each purchase, then look back

on every purchase at the time you set to do so. Now ask yourself these questions about everything.

Number one, should you buy this item?

The first question lets you know if you need this item at all.

Sometimes we get into spending patterns and habits,

and it runs so deep we don't even think about what we're buying.

Even if you feel like this isn't you,

try it for a few weeks and see if you really

aren't intentional with every purchase. Number two, is there a more cost-effective way to buy it?

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