Simple ways to create a debt-free and money-vision board

A vision board is a powerful tool to help you visualize and manifest your goals. As humans, we tend to be more motivated by visual inspiration. One of the most popular goals people use vision boards for is becoming debt-free and achieving financial freedom. Debt can be a heavy burden, causes you so much stress, and prevent you from achieving your money goals.

By creating a debt-free vision board, you can focus your energy and attention on the things you want to achieve and plan to get there.

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Why use a money vision board to start your debt-free journey

It helps you let go of your financial mistakes and focus on the present.
It helps you understand clearly what you want in your life.
It encourages you to give an honest assessment of your current financial situation.
Looking at it can motivate you to keep taking action on your money journey.

What can I put on my money vision board?

Here are some ideas you could include on your board:

A picture or symbol of being debt-free.
A plan for how you’ll budget your money to reach your goals.
A list of all the debts you want to pay off, with a line through each one as you pay it off.
Images of financial stability, such as a person sitting on a pile of money or a person holding a giant check.
Positive quotes or saying about debt-free living and financial freedom.
Graphs or charts visualizing your progress in paying off debt.
A list of short-term and long-term financial goals.
A statement or declaration that you will be debt-free
A time or schedule to see your progress and stay on track.
Picture things you want to buy once you are debt-free, like a new home, car, or trip.
Your savings challenges, such as 52 weeks money and no spend challenge.

How to make a debt-Free and money vision board

Identify your current debt and other financial goals

Identifying your current debt is one of the first steps in creating a vision board for becoming debt-free. This includes everything from credit card balances to student loans and car loans.

Write down the amount of each debt, the interest rate, and the minimum monthly payment. This will give you a clear picture of your current financial situation and help you determine how much you need to pay off each month to become debt-free.

Credit card interest fees are usually the highest, so you most likely want to start with that. An example of action steps you can write in your vision board is paying your statement in balance (note statement balance, not minimum balance) in full to avoid further interest.

Paying just the minimum amount on your credit card or loan will cause you to owe more in interest because it only covers the interest you owe and a small part of what you borrowed.

Take your time to think and dream.

Think about your goals and aspiration. Ask yourself who you feel jealous of and why. For instance, when you see someone with a successful tech career, is that because of their career or lifestyle? Grab your notebook and write whatever comes to your mind in as much detail as possible. These are your goals and not someone else’s hopes and dreams.

Exclude “should” goals and those that do not have any meaning to you. For instance, don’t put a successful manager/execs photo if climbing the corporate ladder is not what you want.

Some tips to get ready and set the mood before creating your debt-free vision board:

Light up some candles and play calm or upbeat music.
Grab some snacks and a cup of tea/coffee!
Get some ideas on Pinterest or Instagram,

Here are financial goals and ideas you can add to your board:

Paying off your credit card debt and student loans
Putting aside your emergency funds
Saving for future travel
Investing in your 401k
Setting aside money for your HSA
Saving for a house
Providing your kids with college funds
Remodeling your kitchen

In addition to your financial goal, here are more categories you can add to your debt-free vision board:

Health
Family
Spirituality
Career/Business
Financial
Personal

Decide if you want to create a physical or digital vision board.

Some people prefer to use a bulletin board and cut out pictures and words from magazines, while others prefer to create a digital vision board using a program like Canva. Both ways have their good points!

Physical vision boards are good because you can make them special and unique. You can use your imagination and creativity, and it will be right in front of you to help you stay motivated. For some people, physically creating a vision board is an enjoyable and therapeutic experience that helps bring their goals to life.

Digital vision boards with Canva are faster and very easy to use. You can access them anytime, anywhere, and you don’t have to worry about running out of space. It’s also faster to make a digital vision board than a physical one.

💡Pro tip: You can put your money vision board on your desktop. It’s a great way to keep your financial goals in mind and in front of you daily.

In the end, it depends on what is best for you. A physical vision board is good if you like to be creative and hands-on. But if you like things to be easy and accessible, then a digital vision board with Canva is a good choice. Think about what will help you stay focused on your goals and choose that one.

Gather your pictures for your debt-free vision board

Gathering pictures for your money vision board can be a fun and creative process. Find pictures that resonate well with your goal, vision, and how you want to feel in the next chapter of your life.

Here’s where you can find them:

Magazines

Browse through magazines and cut out pictures that represent financial freedom and stability, such as pictures of savings accounts, investment portfolios, or financial advisors.

Personal Photos

You can also use your own personal photos that relate to your debt-free goals, such as a picture of your current bills or a picture of a budget spreadsheet.

Online resources

You can use websites like Pinterest, Unsplash, or Pexels to search for pictures that inspire you. Another way is to take a screenshot (press Shift-Command-4 on Mac or Ctrl + PrtScn on windows) on google images, Pinterest or Instagram. You can save them to your computer or smartphone and upload them to Canva or print them out for a physical vision board. Canva also has a catalog of free images you can use!

Print out symbols

If you want to include symbols on your vision board, you can find and print out symbols such as a piggy bank, a dollar sign, or a graph showing growth.

While looking for pictures, ask yourself how each picture relates to your life goals. Remember, the pictures you use on your vision board should represent your financial goals and inspire you to work towards them. Have fun gathering your pictures and making your vision board!

Create your debt-free vision board.

Once you have collected images and have a clear picture of your financial goals, it’s time to start creating your vision board. A vision board can be as simple or as elaborate as you want.

Creating a physical money vision board

Gather up some supplies such as:

Poster board or foam board
Scissors
Glue or tape
Magazines or newspapers
Markers or colored pencils
Pictures you gathered before
Decorative elements such as stickers, washi tape, or ribbon to add a personal touch to your vision board.

Creating a money vision board with Canva

Here is a simple tutorial on creating a vision board with Canva.

💡 Pro tip: use a vision board template on Canva

Using a template will help you create the vision board faster. To find more Canva templates for a money vision board, follow these steps:

Go to Canva.com, log in to your account, or sign up for a new one.
Click on the “Templates” tab in the top navigation bar. If you want to create a vision board from scratch, go to step 5.
In the search bar, type “money vision board” or “financial vision board” and press enter.
Browse through the results and choose the template that you like the most.
Upload all of the screenshots that you gathered to Canva.
Add items to your vision board representing your goals, aspirations, and dreams. You might include images of savings goals, debt repayment charts, and other financial-related images.
Arrange the items on your vision board to create a cohesive and appealing design. You can resize, rotate, and reposition each element as needed.
Once you’re happy with your vision board, download it as an image file.

Recommended template

These are free templates that I found aesthetically speaking. You can type in the template name on the Canva search box.

Vision Board Collage Scrapbooking Romantic White Orange
Beige and Brown Aesthetic Vision Board Photo Collage
White and Beige Collage Vision Board Instagram Story

When creating your vision board, include pictures and words representing your goal of becoming debt-free. This can include things like pictures of money, houses, cars, and other financial goals that you have. You can also include quotes and affirmations that will help keep you motivated and on track.

Organize your money goals if you prefer

Your board layout is totally up to you, you can have absolute chaos or organized chaos if you’d like, or you can organize it based on time and cost. Personally, I prefer to have it organized.

You can put your high-cost, near-term goals on the upper left and high-cost, long-term goals on the upper right. Place goals that can be achieved without spending much money or right away on the lower left for goals. Long-term goals with low cost go on the bottom right. For instance:

Things you can do immediately, such as spending more quality time with your spouse, parents, and friends
Long-term goals, such as paying off your mortgage
Short-term goals, such as paying off your credit card debt

Long-term and short-term goals are relative, but to keep it simple, you can use a five-year rule. You could consider anything over five years as a long-term goal.

By doing this, you’ll get a clearer idea of what kind of life you want to live and understand the financial impact of each goal. It may also motivate you to start saving more money right away.

Canva Template: Beige and Brown Aesthetic Vision Board Photo Collage

More ideas for money and debt-free vision board

Crushing your student and credit card debt
Picking up a side hustle
Saving for a wedding
Building your FU money so you can quit your job temporarily when you stuck with a toxic job
Achieving Financial Independence and Retire Early
Hiring a career coach
Taking a career break
Moving to a new city or a new country
No longer feel trapped and achieve a debt-free peace of mind
Quitting your job temporarily to transition to a new job
Being generous with family and community
Adopting a pet
Starting a family
Affording a nicer apartment
Creating a passive income

Create a plan in place to pay off your debt.

After creating your vision board, it’s time to create a plan. Without a plan, your goal is unlikely to become a reality. Below are some ideas for creating a plan to pay off your debt. This includes planning to pay off your highest-interest debt first and then working your way down the list.

Regularly visit your money vision board and visualize how you will execute the plan in detail

For instance, visualize that when you receive your paycheck, you envision yourself paying your credit card debt and student loan. Then you imagine yourself only buying things that you need in the grocery. If you feel tempted to buy something, imagine that you’ll stick to the budget and put it back.

Studies show that those who visualize when, where, and how they intend to make things happen are more likely to achieve their goal. On the contrary, those who only imagined positive outcomes are less likely to take action and make their dream come true.

It’s also important to remember that becoming debt-free is not a one-time event. It’s a journey that requires discipline, patience, and a commitment to changing your spending habits. Here is Mel Robbin’s thoughts on how to visualize and manifest your goals.

What should you not put on your money vision board?

Unattainable financial goals
Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by including goals that are not realistic or attainable with your current resources.
Items that increase the debt
Avoid items requiring incurring debt, such as expensive luxury items or vacations. Focus instead on items that will help you save or build wealth.
Goals that are not aligned with your value
Make sure your money vision board goals align with your values and priorities.
Negative feelings about money. Your vision board should be positive and make you feel good.

Should you keep your vision board private?

If you’re uncomfortable with others seeing your money vision board, which is completely understandable, you can place it in a private location where only you can access it, such as a locked drawer or on a password-protected device.

You can also choose not to display the vision board and keep it in a private journal or folder. The important thing is that you have a tool to help you stay motivated and focused on your financial goals, regardless of whether or not others can see it.

The decision to keep your vision board private or share it with others is up to you. The key is to view your goals regularly, which can be achieved with or without others seeing the board. Some choose to share their board for accountability, but it’s unnecessary.

How to live debt free?

Here are some ideas for taking your next steps:

Create a budget

Now, I know the word “budget” can strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest souls, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Think of it like a choose-your-own-adventure book – you get to decide how much you want to spend on groceries, entertainment, and even savings.

Creating and sticking to a budget can be a powerful way to gain control over your finances and boost your confidence. Because you know where your money will go, you’ll feel more in control. You’ll also feel less guilty about spending your money because this is budgeted money.

Pay off high-interest debt.

Prioritize paying off credit card debt, personal loans, and other high-interest debts first, as they can accumulate quickly.

Cut expenses

Look for ways to cut expenses, such as reducing your grocery bill, cutting cable, or downsizing your living space.

Here are some ways to save money with minimal pain:

Review your bank and credit card statements, find unused subscriptions, and cancel them.
Find cheaper phone bills
Budget eating out and online shopping.
Negotiate your bill (cable, credit card fees, car insurance).
Replace your cable with cheaper online streaming services.
Budget your spending.
Share your subscription with friends (i.e., amazon prime, Netflix).
Sell your old stuff.
Buy groceries at cheaper market chains such as Aldi.
Sign up for cash-back apps, such as Rakuten and CapitalOne Shopping.
Don’t spend your hard-earned money to impress others.
If you tend to shop on amazon to relieve stress, which I used to do, consider canceling the membership and finding other ways to relieve your stress.

For more tips and ideas on saving money – check out the below posts:

Increase income

Consider ways to increase your income, such as getting a raise, getting a new job, taking on a side hustle, or starting a business.

Be mindful of future expenses.

Plan for future expenses, such as car repairs, home maintenance, and retirement, to avoid taking on more debt.

Avoid lifestyle inflation

Be mindful of lifestyle inflation when you increase your expenses as your income increases. Instead, continue to live below your means and save more money.

Stay motivated

Setting up your environment intentionally to curb online shopping enthusiasm. Here are some ideas:

Uninstall any online shopping app (or you can turn off the notification)
Unsubscribe from online shops
Download a web plugin to block online shop sites, such as blocksite

More tips for living debt-free

Only use a credit card if you can pay the bill when it comes. If you find that using credit cards leads you to spend more easily, lock the credit card and pay everything in cash.
Bring cash only when going out with friends.
Keep track of how much you spend on your credit card and ensure you can pay the full monthly balance.
If you have unpaid balances on multiple credit cards, pay off the one with the highest interest rate first. Continue paying as much as you can towards this debt each month until the balance is zero while still paying the minimum on your other cards. This rule also applies to other high-interest debt (around 8% or higher) that doesn’t offer tax benefits.

What are some things people can do weekly that will boost their
confidence about money?

Even some people who make smart choices with their money still don’t feel confident in their financial abilities. They’re doing the right things, like keeping debt to a minimum and saving. But they still feel like they are “bad with money”. Other than creating a budget and sticking to it, here are additional tips for confidence boosters that can be practiced weekly:

1. Automating savings

Setting up automatic transfers from your checking account to your savings account can be a great way to build your savings without thinking about it. This also helps you visualize how much money is left in your savings account, thus helping curb overspending on impulse purchases.

2. Learn about personal finances and surround yourself with like-minded community

Taking the time to educate yourself about personal finance can be a great way to build your confidence. Whether reading books, listening to podcasts, following personal finance influencers, or taking a class, learning more about money can create a sense of progress and help you feel more in control.

Find and join a community of like-minded people to feel less alone in the journey. Here are the personal finance groups I’d recommend joining:

3. Reflecting on your progress

Setting financial goals and regularly tracking your progress towards those goals can help you see how far you’ve come and give you a sense of accomplishment. This can be a powerful way to build your confidence and stay motivated.

4. Financial affirmations

Repeat affirmations that help you to focus on your goals and your ability to achieve them. It could be like, “With a plan in hand, I am in control of my finances,” or “I am capable of managing my money effectively”. The affirmation can work especially for those who have a positive belief, to begin with.

For those who struggle with intrusive thoughts and self-hatred, try to use a “maybe” statement that might feel more realistic. This can be the first turning point to getting into the habit of believing in positive affirmations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating a vision board for becoming debt-free can be a powerful tool to help you visualize your goal and make a plan to achieve it.

By identifying your current debt, creating a budget, and planning to pay off your debt, you can focus your energy and attention on becoming debt-free.

Remember that becoming debt-free is not a one-time event. It’s a journey that requires discipline, patience, and a commitment to changing your spending habits. You may encounter setbacks along the way, but with a clear goal in mind and a plan to achieve it, you can become debt-free 💪.

Vi, a software engineer with a keen interest in personal finance, had planned to retire once she reached her lean FI/RE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) goal. However, after achieving the goal, she took few months of a mini-retirement filled with travel and adventure and decided to continue her career.

For the past five years, Vi has been using Personal Capital (Empower), a free financial tool. Her favorite features include the dashboard for net worth, allocation, and planning, which help track her FI/RE goal and keep those investment fees in check.