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How many times have you promised yourself that you’re going to get on top of your finances? Finally pay down debt? Or start that investment portfolio? Or perhaps pay attention to our superannuation? According to financial planner Canna Campbell, while many of us have the best intentions, life tends to get in the way. Sound familiar? Keep reading.

Canna Campbell is not only an experienced financial planner, but also a mother, partner and entrepreneur (she’s the founder of SugarMamma.TV, a platform which helps women to achieve financial independence). In her book Mindful Money, she shows you how to look at your finances with holistic and powerful mindfulness, easily incorporating her step-by-step advice into your daily habits and routines. From new banking rituals and money mindsets to growing passive income through shares and property, she’ll help you shed the excess and embrace what you really love, value, use and appreciate – including your necessary luxuries. Ready to make some serious change? Let's meet Canna.

While we are experiencing a move towards more mindfulness in life, we’re still living in an age of ‘more more more’ and shopping is easier than it has ever been before. A few taps of our phone and we’ve made a purchase. How do you approach mindful spending in today’s world?

I actually love the efficiency of the tap and go and embrace the cashless society, especially as I am a minimalist. But it is the mindfulness that goes in beforehand that is most important and powerful.

Taking a few moments to stop and think before deciding to purchase. Asking ourselves if we actually need this item? Do we have room for this item in our home? How will taking care of this item drain our precious resources? Does buying this limit future purchases? Or even what has triggered this desire to purchase this?

The insight, awareness and clarity we can gain are quite astounding when we do this and often we end up being more selective in our consumption and enjoying our purchases with more satisfaction and fulfilment and therefore finding ourselves needing less after making a mindful purchase.

And what are your practical tips for dealing with the barrage of marketing we are subjected to? The products that pop up in our Instagram feeds? How do we stick to mindful spending?

I am a very normal mother and just like the next, I love champagne, a beautiful handbag, sneaky drop-ins to my few favourite local stores or a browse through their new arrivals whilst looking on my phone in bed at night. But I keep my list of loves exclusive.

When we fill our heads and egos with too many loves it can become draining, distracting and toxic. It is perfectly healthy to appreciate nice things but the constant desire to consume is like filling a bottomless pit. When you learn to adjust your mindset and approach what you have with gratitude, you learn to appreciate from afar, without the need to have to necessarily have it.

I recommend having a select few favourites and stick to them exclusively. I won’t subscribe, follow or sign up to any other stores or brands unless I am willing to let go of one of them. I have about five favourite fashions brands/websites and that is enough to cover me for what I need for all occasions and the same goes for homewares. Their products match my style, needs and expectation of quality. This limits wasting my time and enjoying the meaningful things in life like spending time with my family and friends, getting outside, exercise and my other interests.

Social media has encouraged comparison which can lead to people feeling insecure/spending more to compensate and make themselves feel better - what’s your approach to comparison and how does impact our relationship with money?

I come across this so often in my consultations with people. And often the key ingredient missing here is a meaningful goal. When we have something that excites us and we can realistically work towards, the need for the insecure spending literally falls away and we gain perspective as to how consumerism can take over us. We channel that energy towards building something that is going to serve us on a deeper level.

"It is perfectly healthy to appreciate nice things but the constant desire to consume is like filling a bottomless pit. When you learn to adjust your mindset and approach what you have with gratitude, you learn to appreciate from afar, without the need to have to necessarily have it."

Canna Campbell, Financial Planner & Author of Mindful Money

Talk us through how you manage your money mindfully each month...

I recommend keeping it really simple and nicknaming your different accounts with its purpose:Everyday Account – (daily, monthly, weekly fortnightly) – think coffees, dry cleaning, gym membership, school fees, insurances, with a linked debit card and all direct debits coming out from here etc

What tools will we walk away with after reading mindful money?

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