“How do you get unstuck when you have a negative mindset that can’t value delayed gratification versus the immediate? For example, why is it so hard to give up a convenient food option that may cost more in the end when a cook-at-home option is always left in the fridge to rot?”

This topic was requested by one of my Instagram followers – thank you!

In Part I, I spoke about calculating opportunity cost and making invisible costs visible. This addresses WHY someone would want to re-evaluate their spending and change their behaviors.

That was the WHY. We also need the HOW.

Here are some practical tips using the ARIA Money Model (Awaken, Reframe, Intention, Action) to set yourself up for success and start changing your behaviors for the better.

• Awaken – Understand your money triggers deeply. Call them out by name when you see them happening. Am I eating out because of stress, convenience, or lack of planning?
• Reframe – Set positive visible cues in your environment. Put your WHY (the opportunity cost from Part I) where you will see it frequently throughout the day. Make sure your why is powerful enough to snap you back into the correct mindset.
• Intention – Embrace your new identity. Set a new intention for your money and behaviors. Repeat after me: “I respect my body and my labor. I nourish my body with exercise and whole foods that I prepare at home. Every dollar I earn is used with care and compounds in value. This money will pay for my children’s education.”
• Action – 1) Plan ahead. Observe where and when you experience friction or roadblocks so you can address them. If you know you run out of certain staples by the end of the week, and that’s what causes you to default to eating out rather than grabbing something from your fridge, have a recurring grocery delivery arrive the day before that happens. 2) Have a Plan B ready. If I run out of food at home, instead of going to Chick-fil-A, I will go across the street to Safeway to pick up a sandwich and buy groceries while I’m there.

If you are ready for change in 2026, visit MakingMoneyIsSimple.com to get started on your financial transformation today.