Like so many of my clients, I have struggled with money throughout my life. I decided about 10 years ago to take on the challenge of my relationship with money and have learned a lot in the process. I have worked on my relationship with money and built solid skills in money management that have helped me tremendously with my life. Not that I have money all figured out - my relationship with money still has its ups and downs - but, now, at least, I know I have a relationship with money and I would generally describe it as healthy. When I work with clients around money money mangement, many of them initially describe their relationship with adjectives like:

- unhealthy
- out of control
- irresponsible
- anxiety-filled

It is a relief for them to discover that they are not the only ones who feel that their relationship with money is not quite where it should be. So, while I coach people on building practical skills around money, the place that we start is for them to analyze their relationship with money and describe it's current state. The first step may be to even acknowledge that you do have a relationship with money - just like you have a relationship with yourself, a partner, a boss, or family members.

Building a strong financial foundation requires that you improve your relationship with money. The more aware you are of how you treat money, how you use money and what you expect of it, the better you will be at managing it. There are lots of books out to help you build skills in money management and, yet, so many of my clients, who know the right things to do with money are still stuck. If you are in that situation, take the first step today by assessing your current relationship with money - what works, what doesn't work, what do you like and what do you not like? Acknowledge that you have a relationship with money and that by being more aware of it and tending to it, you will lay the foundation for better money management.

If you still need a practical, tanglible step - put a bottle in your kitchen and dump the change from your wallet or pocket into it every night. You might not be ready to save hundreds of dollars every month, but you can begin the act of savings, no matter what your current financial situation. Open a new savings account and deposit your bottle once a month. Commit to not spending the bottle money on anything else. After the first month, reassess how you feel about money and your current relationship with it.

Got to go now - I haven't put my change in the bottle yet today and I am on my way out the door. Blessings, Kathy

I know I have a relationship with money and I would generally describe it as healthy.