7 Finance Tips for Women That Finally Made Me Stop Being Broke

There was a time when I constantly felt broke.

Not necessarily because I didn’t have any money, but because it felt like there was never enough. I’d pay one bill and another one would pop up. I’d have a decent payday, and somehow a week later I’d wonder where it all went.

One of my most embarrassing moments happened at the grocery store.

My debit card was DECLINED.

There. I said it. In big ‘ol bold letters. Oh, and it wasn’t just once either. Try twice.

I stood there trying to remember if I had transferred money to the wrong account or if there was something fraudulent happening. Nope. I had simply convinced myself payday was Thursday when it was actually Friday.

That was a fun walk back to the car.

Looking back now, I realize it wasn’t really about that one declined transaction. It was about constantly feeling like I was one small mistake away from everything falling apart.

Thankfully, that isn’t my life anymore!

I’m not rich, but I also don’t spend every day worrying about money. The biggest changes weren’t fancy investing strategies or complicated budgeting spreadsheets. They were small shifts in how I looked at money.

Once I started understanding some basic personal finance concepts, everything felt a little less overwhelming. If you’re new to managing money, Investopedia has an awesome library of beginner-friendly financial terms and explanations.

❌ Money Myth: Good with money means never spending.
✅ Truth: Good with money means spending intentionally.

These are the 7 finance tips for women that honestly changed everything for me.

The 7 Finance Tips for Women I Swear By

1. Stop Trying to Look Rich

First up on the “finance tips for women” list is STOP TRYING TO LOOK RICH! 

This one took me a while.

When I was younger, I thought having nice things meant I was doing well. New clothes. Cute home decor. Random little purchases because I’d “earned it.”

The funny thing is, nobody was paying nearly as much attention as I thought they were.

These days I still like nice things. I just don’t feel the need to own everything I like.

Buuuuuut, I still stop and touch throw blankets every single time I’m in a store. Lol.

I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s because I live in Canada and keep my thermostat colder than most people.  There’s just something about an oversized cozy blanket that gets me every time!

The problem? I already own way too many. Way too many.

Now I pick them up, admire them, imagine how cozy they’d be on movie night… and then I put them back.  Ok, most of the time.

Either way, that tiny habit has probably saved me hundreds of dollars this year!

Funny enough, it’s little decisions like that which have had the biggest impact over time. I’ve picked up quite a few other money saving habits over the years that have helped me keep more of my paycheck without feeling like I’m constantly depriving myself.

🚩 Broke Girl Trap: Buying things to impress people who probably won’t even remember you owned them next week.

2. “Just Looking” Usually Costs Money

I used to stop at Target “just to look.”  If you’ve ever done that, you already know how this story ends.

I’d wander through the aisles with absolutely no shopping list.  Then I’d find a candle. Maybe kitchen towels.  And maybe something seasonal (that’s out of season) that suddenly felt necessary.

I’d leave $80 poorer wondering how that happened. Now I ask myself one question before I even walk in.

“What am I here to buy Maya?”

If I don’t have an answer, I usually keep driving or walking…..ahhh, maybe running is better.

Impulse shopping isn’t about needing things. It’s usually about boredom, stress, or wanting a little dopamine hit after a long day.

I’ve learned those little purchases aren’t usually what make me happy anyway.

🚩 Broke Girl Trap: Walking into a store without knowing exactly what you’re there to buy. Your wallet usually leaves lighter than you planned.

3. Some Things Are Always Worth Spending Money On

Hey I’m all about saving money.

But I’ve also learned that not everything needs to be the cheapest option.

My dog (aka angel in disguise) Scribbles is about 15 years old.

She’s been with me through so many different seasons of my life that I honestly can’t imagine not having her around. She’s slower these days. She sleeps a little more. Her sweet little gray face somehow gets cuter every year. (I didn’t even know that was possible.)

And her vet bills aren’t cheap.

Would I rather have thousands of extra dollars sitting in my savings account?  Well…sure.

But if spending that money means I get more good days with Scribbles? It’s not even a decision for me. I’d pay it again tomorrow.

That was actually a big shift in how I started looking at money.

For many years I thought being “good with money” meant always buying the cheaper option, always saying no, always finding a way to spend less.

Now, I don’t know…it just feels different.

Some things deserve a place in the budget because they genuinely make your life better.

Maybe it’s taking your kids on a vacation they’ll remember forever, maybe it’s paying for therapy, maybe it’s buying good shoes because your knees aren’t 21 anymore (they let you know.), or maybe it’s taking care of a dog that’s loved you unconditionally for 15 years.

Saving money is important.

But so is remembering why you’re saving it in the first place. Because the goal isn’t to spend as little as possible. The goal is to build a life that feels pretty darn good while you’re living it. 

I’ll drink to that.  😉

4. Being Single Has Financial Pros and Cons

I’m single, and I genuinely love my independence.

I love making my own decisions, I love decorating however I want, I love not having to ask anyone if buying (fill in the blank) is ok, I love not having to watch the clock if I’m running late.

But if I’m being honest, sometimes it’s lonely too.

There are some days when it would be nice to split the grocery bill. Or have someone else deal with a surprise repair. Or simply have another income helping carry the weight of everyday life.

For a long time I compared myself to couples who seemed so much further ahead financially.  Eventually I realized I was comparing one income to two.

And that’s not a fair comparison.

Instead of feeling behind, I started focusing on building a life I actually enjoy on my own income.  That shift took a lot of pressure off.

5. Tiny Habits Matter More Than Perfect Budgets

I have made more budgets than I care to admit.

Color-coded budgets. Printable budgets. Budget binders. Apps. Spreadsheets. Fancy savings challenges. If there was a new budgeting method on Pinterest, chances are I tried it.

I’d get all excited, spend an hour setting everything up, and think, This is it. This is the budget that’s finally going to change my life.

Two weeks later? Yeaaaaaaaaah…not so much!

Life got busy. I’d forget to track all purchases. Then I’d “forget” all together. Then I’d convince myself I’d “start fresh next week.”

Sound familiar?

What finally worked for me wasn’t finding the perfect budget.  It was changing little things that didn’t take much effort.

Checking my bank account every couple of days instead of pretending everything was probably fine. (Spoiler alert: sometimes it wasn’t.)

Waiting until tomorrow before buying something sitting in my online shopping cart. Funny how many things suddenly don’t seem quite as necessary after you’ve slept on them.

Anyways, over time I realized it wasn’t one big financial decision that changed my life. It was a collection of small choices repeated over and over again. If you’re looking for more ideas, here are some of my favorite smart money habits that have helped me become more intentional with my finances.

🚩 Broke Girl Trap: Thinking, “It’s only $20.” Five little “$20 purchases” every week quietly become thousands over the course of a year.

Automatically moving money into savings the day I got paid so I couldn’t accidentally spend it first. Because let’s be honest…if it sits in my chequing account long enough, my brain starts treating it like it’s available.

Now, I don’t know…those little habits just felt easier to stick with.

They’re not exciting. They won’t make for a flashy TikTok. But they also don’t leave you feeling like you’ve failed two weeks later.

And honestly? I’ll take boring and consistent over exciting and short-lived every single time.

Building better money habits doesn’t happen overnight, and even the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends creating simple routines that are easy to stick with rather than trying to change everything at once. 

So don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re only human 😉

6. You Can Only Cut So Much

This might honestly be the biggest lesson on this entire list.

For years, I was obsessed with saving money.

I’d compare grocery flyers before going shopping. I’d clip coupons. I’d wait for things to go on sale. I’d buy the store brand instead of the name brand.  There was one time in my life I even bought powdered milk.  This was my lowest day.  My kids are still recovering.  Fair.

🚩 Broke Girl Trap: Spending hours trying to save $8… while ignoring opportunities to earn an extra $100.

Now don’t get me wrong…none of those things are bad. In fact, I still do a lot of them today. But eventually I realized there was a ceiling.

You can only cut your grocery bill so much. You can only cancel so many subscriptions. You can only say no to so many little treats before life starts feeling…well…kind of boring.

And that’s when it hit me. Instead of spending three hours trying to save twelve bucks, what if I spent those same three hours figuring out how to make an extra hundred?

Now, I don’t know…it just feels different. Making more money gives you options.

Saving money is important. I’ll probably talk about saving money until I’m old and gray. But earning more? That’s where things really started to change for me.

One extra income stream turned into another. Then another. And before I knew it, I wasn’t stressing over every little purchase anymore.

Honestly, that’s a huge part of why I started MayaWaters.com in the first place.

I wanted women to realize that we don’t have to spend our entire lives trying to cut, cut, cut. Or maybe…just maybe…we can start looking for ways to earn more instead.

Because sometimes the answer isn’t another coupon. Sometimes it’s another paycheck.

7. Progress Feels Better Than Perfection

I still make mistakes with money.  Everyone does!

• Sometimes I forget about an automatic renewal.
• Sometimes I buy something I didn’t really need. 
• Sometimes I hit the drive-thru because it’s been one of those days and the thought of cooking brings tears to my eyes.

The difference now is I don’t let one mistake convince me I’ve failed. Years ago I’d think, “Well, I’ve already blown the budget.” But now? Now I say to myself, move on buttercup!

🚩 Broke Girl Trap: Believing one bad money decision ruins the whole month. It doesn’t. One purchase never made you broke, and one purchase won’t magically make you rich either.

Because building better finances isn’t about being perfect every day.  Nope. It’s about making more good decisions than bad ones over time.

That’s really all any of us are trying to do.

So, What’s the Takeaway?

If you had told me years ago that I’d eventually enjoy talking about money, I probably would have laughed.

Back then money mostly made me anxious.  Now, I don’t know, it just feels……. different.

Not because I suddenly became an expert or because my life became perfect, but because I stopped expecting myself to have everything figured out.

One thing that made a huge difference was simply learning a little more about money each week. You don’t need a finance degree to feel more confident. If you’re just getting started, I put together a guide to financial education for beginners that’s written in plain English, not confusing financial jargon.

If you’re feeling broke right now, I hope you know you’re not alone.

A lot of us have stood in grocery store lines hoping our debit card works.  A lot of us have walked into a mall just planning to “window shop” and somehow left carrying 5 life sized shopping bags.  And above all…. a whole lot of us have wondered if we’re ever going to feel financially comfortable, ever again in this lifetime.

The good news is that small changes really do add up. Maybe your first step is skipping one impulse purchase this week. Or maybe it’s simply checking your bank account instead of avoiding it.

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s looking for a way to earn an extra $100 this month instead of trying to cut another $100 from your life.

Whatever it is, start there. Because you don’t have to completely change your life overnight.

The nice thing is you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. I still read trusted personal finance websites from time to time and one I enjoy peeking in on every now and again is called NerdWallet.  It’s a handy little corner of the internet where you can learn more about budgeting, saving, credit, and investing without feeling completely overwhelmed.

So again, don’t beat yourself up. You don’t need to fix everything at once. You just need to keep making the next better decision. 🙂

FAQ Finance Tips for Women