A lot of people think that only rich people care about their net worth. Or only wealthy people track it. But this could not be further from the truth. Every one of us, regardless of our income, background, or education, can grow our net worth regularly.

Did you know that the average millionaire buys their jeans at Walmart? Or that the average millionaire drives a Honda? These are true. Some of the wealthiest people I know look like very average people. You would never know by how they dress, or how they spend their money that they had a high net worth.

The quickest way to ensure that your wealth does not grow is to overspend. Living within your means is the best way to increase your quality of life, reduce your stress, and get and stay out of debt. No matter how you feel about money, you can increase your net worth. And the sooner you take control of your money, the sooner it will stop controlling you!

So Check out my Guide to Increase Your Net Worth

Note: These don’t have to be done in order. In fact, I encourage you to do #2 and #3 right now while you’re motivated and ready to make a change. Schedule some time to do #1 as this may take an hour or even a few, depending on how organized you are.

1. Get on a budget

Whether you make $2,000 per month, $20,000, or $200,000, we can all benefit from a budget. This does not mean that you can’t buy the things you want or do the things you want to do. It simply means that you are deliberate about your spending, not buying things you don’t actually want, need, or use.  I highly encourage you to create a budget and track your spending. Some people find this daunting or limiting, but I find it powerful and encouraging. It does take some discipline, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Your budget can be hand written on a piece of paper, completed on an excel document, or done digitally using an app or even your bank’s software. Whichever you choose, make sure it is user-friendly for you and easily accessible.

Here’s my step by step approach to budgeting:

First, write down all of your expenses. Then, see what things can be cut out and what can be reduced. Are you overpaying for groceries? Going out too often? Paying for subscriptions you don’t use? I bet you’ll find some “lost” money simply by going through this exercise. Then, figure out how much you want to save or invest and what needs to be eliminated or reduced to achieve that. Once you’re done, STICK TO IT!

2. Create an acorns account

Acorns is, in my opinion, the easiest way to invest there is. You can invest your spare change and contribute a nominal amount each week. You can also set it to auto draft from your account and I promise you won’t miss it. It’s so cool to log in every few months and see your investment grow with no effort or sacrifice.

3. Set up a Rakuten account and get real cash back on things you need

You can also invest the cash back you can earn on groceries and other things you’re already buying. Setting up a Rakuten account allows you to get cash back at most retail stores. This is in addition to any credit card reward points or coupons you’re already using.

The other cool thing about Rakuten is that they pay you each time you get someone to sign up. You simply send them your referral link, and when they create an account and make a purchase, you make $30! Once you share with them the cashback you’re making, they’ll sign up.

Last week, I ordered 3 gobble meals for $36. They were each 2 servings, so I got six total servings delivered to my house for $36 as that was the current gobble promotion. Rakuten was also offering $30 cash back! So I paid $6 for 6 meals – they were good, too! Who doesn’t love FREE food?

Those are my 3 ways to grow net worth.

Who am I to tell you how to grow your wealth? I have some experience and pretty great results. While working a W2 job as an Army officer for 8 years, my husband and I grew our net worth to $120,000. After we had kids and I chose to stay home and give up my W2, I was able to grow our net worth to $1.6 Million in less than five years. I did it by being disciplined, deliberate, and investing every opportunity I could. And we didn’t sacrifice our lives, freedom, or wellbeing for it. We also purchased a Disney timeshare, Tesla Model Y, Audi A3, and traveled to four different countries during that time. You truly can have your cake and eat it, too. You just need to get serious about what you want and what matters to you. Then stop spending money on everything else.

The best way to grow your net worth? Invest in Yourself! This course will help you develop a plan to accomplish YOUR goals on YOUR timeline!