Budgeting for the life and career you want w/ Northwestern Mutual

This post is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day nuances of life, but have you just sat down and thought about what you really want? One of our long-term goals was to be able to make travel part of our careers. Taking international trips (like the one from the images in this post) and experiencing different cultures is constantly on our minds, and manifesting the life that we want played a huge part in our blog. It’s a topic that’s near and dear to our hearts. Which is why we’ve partnered with Northwestern Mutual on how to budget for the life and career that you want.

One of the most common questions people ask us is: how did we start our blog? When we initially began our travel business, we were a bit overwhelmed about how to start. We both had busy freelance careers, and we wanted to be able to continue those without feeling the pressure of the blog needing to provide income for us. So, we would use our disposable income for our trips and treat those trips as content creation and photography opportunities. Essentially, we used our vacations as a chance to start our blog.

Have you also been unsure of where to start? Check out these tips from financial advisor Aaron Bell:

• Aaron suggests you have a solid financial foundation before pursuing your own business. This means your credit cards are paid off, an emergency fund is sufficientand intact, and your retirement accounts are active.

 • While it seems like a no-brainer, knowing your credit score is key! It’s common for a credit business line to be opened during this time; however, be sure to explore the cost and interest rates in advance while your budget is stable before buying any equipment or supplies. This can provide needed liquidity for leverage or the unexpected.

• When saving up for your next business move, it’s important to know exactly how much you are bringing home on average. Create an expense report and take note of your burn ratio. Aim to keep 50 percent of your budget for essentials, 30 percent for lifestyle and 20 percent for financial priorities. We apply this method when saving up for big trips as well. You can save money without sacrificing your budget by canceling a few of those subscriptions you haven't been using, selling items that are collecting dust to second-hand shops, and just showing a little restraintwith impulse buying and day-to-day temptations (although we know that second latte is hard to walk away from).