So, my favourite brand KAREN MILLEN emails me with a CLOSING DOWN SALE up to 75% off, and immediately my heart starts racing and I get a bit excited, to say the least. Filled with excitement and anticipation, I head off to the local DFO which is an outlet for those of you who don’t know, and its mayhem, women everywhere.

As I’d already made a few purchases I had a few bags in my hand and now I was faced with the exhausting but exciting task of fossicking through each rack to find my little gems at less than a quarter of the price, I am up for the challenge. HELL YEAH!

Let me tell you the desire to get a bargain far outweighs the pain in my arms as I continue to look through each and every item, hoping to find my size. Oh, and by the way, all the other women are trying to do the same thing so a bit busy and pushy, to say the least, but I am not deterred, I do not lose focus of my vision and goal, that is to buy every item I can at the best price ever.

I can feel the weight of my shopping bags cut into my arm but I don’t care, hey this is the bargain of the century and I do love a bargain especially when it comes to such high brands as Karen Millen.

I finally make it to the lineup for the change rooms and notice that one of the girls is frantically trying everything on outside the change rooms in a corner, she isn’t shy and is really comfortable going through each item and chatting to those around her. Immediately I join the conversation, I love this sort of comradery between women, this is when we bond and join in as one for the ultimate goal and that is to encourage each other to BUY. Might I mention that at this point in time my girlfriend looked at the lineup and asked the BIG question “Do we really need these clothes this badly” to which I responded “YES!!!” Probably should have been “IS THAT A TRICK QUESTION!!!”

It’s interesting to note that throughout this conversation we support each other with comments such as; “oh, for that price you’re mad not to buy it”, “don’t stress you will lose those few kilos”, “it’s not too tight it looks amazing”, “where would I wear this, I don’t have an occasion at the moment?” To which we all reply “for that price just buy it there will be an occasion and then you will be sorry if you don’t”. The encouragement and bonding are intense and we are all hyped up to a point of purchase frenzy, you know, the I have to have it type.

Then the conversation turned to money; “when my husband sees the credit card, he’ll ask me why I spent so much”. The creativity in the explanations is funny and the right to spend is clear, this is where I start thinking about their financial reality.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to spend without guilt, to spend without permission, and to spend without compromising your life now and into the future. To have the confidence to proceed and know that it’s OK to do so.

If your answer is HELL YEAH then it’s time to take stock of where you are in your financial life right now.

• How confident are you with your money and making financial decisions that impact you daily?
• How confident are you about having enough for your future self?

You know she is waiting for you, yes she is, make no mistake about that.

I believe as women of the 21st century we are smart, savvy, resourceful, and resilient and we can do anything we put our minds to, so I challenge you to take the bull by the horns and become financially confident so you can make your own financial decisions to live a life of choice.

I’m Tracey Sofra and I believe women should take control of their money and create the financial independence they deserve to live a life of choice.

If you are ready to take the next step in your journey to live a life of choice take the Financial Confidence Quiz and find out how you score to move forward in your financial life.