Track Your Recurring Payments with Mint
Intro
In today's fast-paced world, managing finances can feel like walking a tightrope. With numerous subscriptions, memberships, and other recurring payments popping up, it's easy to lose track of where our money is going. This is where Mint, a robust financial management tool, steps in to lend a helping hand. Leveraging Mint isn't just about keeping an eye on your bank accounts; it's about gaining a clearer picture of your financial commitments. In this article, we will explore how to utilize Mint effectively for monitoring recurring payments, providing insights that can enhance your overall financial health.
Understanding Recurring Payments
Recurring payments refer to those transactions that happen on a set schedule—be it monthly, quarterly, or even annually. Recognizing these payments is crucial for effective budgeting. It's like having a regular reminder that ensures you're not caught off guard when funds are debited from your account. Mint allows users not just to monitor these payments but also to categorize and analyze them, thus offering a deeper understanding of their spending habits.
Importance of Recognizing Recurring Payments
Acknowledging recurring payments can help in multiple ways:
- Budget Management: Helps form a realistic budget by accounting for consistent expenses.
- Awareness of Financial Health: A regular inventory of payments can indicate whether your spending aligns with your financial goals.
- Reduction of Unnecessary Costs: Scrutinizing these payments can uncover subscriptions you no longer use or need.
Understanding what you pay for repeatedly can be eye-opening.
"Take control of your money, or it will control you."
Leveraging Mint for Tracking Payments
Mint simplifies the process of tracking these payments. Once your bank accounts are linked, Mint automatically categorizes transactions and flags recurring payments.
Practical Steps to Utilize Mint
- Set Up Your Mint Account: Download the app or visit the website to create an account.
- Connect Your Bank Accounts: Link all relevant accounts to gather a complete overview of your financial activity.
- Identify Recurring Transactions: Navigate to the transactions page to see which payments happen on a regular basis.
- Tag and Categorize: You can label these payments according to their type, such as utilities, subscriptions, or loans.
- Set Up Alerts: Mint allows users to set reminders or alerts for due dates on bills or subscriptions.
By following these steps, users can effectively monitor their recurring payments and obtain greater financial clarity.
Closure
Looping back to the importance of finance management, Mint serves as a powerful ally in tracking recurring payments. Its ease of use combined with detailed analytics can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their spending habits. Taking the time to understand your money flow is key to achieving long-term financial wellbeing.
Understanding Recurring Payments
Recurring payments can be an essential part of managing finances today. The importance of recognizing and categorizing them shouldn’t be underestimated. These regular transactions can help in budgeting and planning for one's expenditures, serving as fixed references in an ever-changing financial landscape.
These payments, by their nature, introduce consistency in one's financial commitments. However, they can also lead to unanticipated consequences if neglected. Understanding what types of recurring payments exist and how they function is crucial for making informed decisions regarding your overall financial health.
There are several benefits to comprehending recurring payments. Firstly, it allows individuals to track their cash flow more efficiently, helping to avoid missed payments or overdraft fees. Secondly, it can alert one to potential overspending, especially when subscriptions, services, utilities, and dues pile up unnoticed.
Defining Recurring Payments
Recurring payments refer to transactions that occur on a fixed schedule, often automatically deducted from an individual's bank account or charged to a credit card. They occur regularly, such as weekly, monthly, or annually. These payments can include anything from utility bills to subscription services that provide ongoing access. The automatic nature of these transactions means they can slip through the cracks if not monitored properly, leading to possible financial strain.
Common Types of Recurring Payments
Recurring payments appear in various forms. Understanding these is essential for recognizing their function and implications in personal finance.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions, like those for streaming services or magazines, are one of the most recognizable forms of recurring payments. They stand out for their ability to provide continuous access to products or services without needing re-purchase. A key characteristic of subscriptions is their convenience, offering users easy access as long as payments are made.
However, subscriptions can easily get out of hand. A unique feature here is the ease of signing up—while opting out might sometimes require additional effort or navigating complex cancellation processes. This points to a disadvantage: people often forget they signed up, leading to expenses accumulating in the background.
Utilities
Utility payments cover essential services like electricity, water, and gas. The main aspect here is that they are necessities, not luxuries. Each month, households depend on these utility services to maintain a certain standard of living. These payments are often structured based on previous usage, making them somewhat predictable for budgeting purposes.
Yet, there's a catch; as awareness of utilities usage grows, users might find it challenging to estimate these expenses accurately. For instance, unexpected hikes in utility rates can disturb personal budgets, rendering someone unprepared for fluctuations in their expenses.
Loan Payments
Loan payments, whether for personal loans, mortgages, or auto loans, represent another common recurring payment. They come with clear terms, typically set in a fixed monthly amount ensuring clarity and predictability in budgeting. The reliability of this type of expense makes it a popular choice for borrowers, as it contributes substantially to building a positive credit score.
On the flip side, the obligation in managing returns on loans can be burdensome. While consistent payments can bolster one’s financial standing, failure to keep up can lead to dire consequences, including deterioration of credit scores. Thus careful tracking is vital.
Membership Fees
Membership fees for gyms, clubs, or professional organizations fall into another category of recurring payments. These fees often offer a range of benefits, from access to facilities to networking opportunities. The key characteristic is their finite, usually annual cost that provides noticeable value to the member.
However, the disadvantages sometimes become evident when individuals stop utilizing the services but continue paying. It leads to unnecessary charges, contributing to a sense of financial wastefulness. Keeping an eye on such memberships in Mint can help manage these additional costs wisely.
The Financial Impact of Recurring Payments
The financial impact of recurring payments is substantial, influencing everything from monthly cash flow to long-term savings. Recognizing how these payments interact with income streams is fundamental for gaining a comprehensive view of one’s financial health. The blend of predictable expenses can support better budgeting; however, it may also lead to complacency and neglecting to reevaluate these repayment obligations as financial needs evolve.
In summary, understanding recurring payments is not just an academic exercise; it’s a critical component of savvy personal finance management, enabling individuals to navigate their financial landscapes thoughtfully.
Foreword to Mint as a Financial Tool
When managing finances in today's fast-paced world, having a reliable financial tool can make all the difference. Mint stands out for several reasons, primarily for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features designed to assist individuals in tracking their spending, especially recurring payments.
Recurring payments often sneak up on you. They can pile on unnoticed, creating a financial burden you didn’t expect. By utilizing Mint, individuals gain the power to monitor these payments effectively. This prevents overspending and ensures that one is aware of where their money goes each month. Having such insights can not only help in budgeting but also in making more informed financial decisions.
Overview of Mint's Features
Mint offers a plethora of features aimed at making financial management an achievable goal for everyone. Here’s a glimpse of what it brings to the table:
- Budget Creation: Users can set personalized budgets based on their income and expenses.
- Spending Tracking: Mint categorizes transactions, helping users identify spending habits.
- Alerts and Notifications: It sends notifications for bills due and updates on spending limits, so users can stay ahead of their finances.
- Credit Score Monitoring: This tool enables users to keep an eye on their credit score and learn ways to improve it.
- Investment Tracking: Users can monitor their investments in one convenient location.
These features create a robust toolkit for users seeking better financial health and awareness.
Why Choose Mint for Tracking Payments?
Mint emerges as a dependable choice for monitoring recurring payments due to its seamless integration and ease of use. With its ability to connect to various bank accounts and credit cards, it automatically syncs transactions, which alleviates the manual effort typically required to track expenses.
- Automation: The automatic sync with financial accounts means users spend less time managing finances and more time enjoying life. This can be a real game changer.
- Visual Dashboards: The interface is designed intuitively, providing visual representations of expenditure that make it simpler to understand where money is spent.
- Continuous Updates: Mint regularly updates its features, ensuring users have access to the latest tools and technologies.
Ultimately, Mint acts as a financial compass, guiding users in navigating the often turbulent waters of personal finance. With such a dependable tool at one’s disposal, tracking recurring payments becomes a less daunting task, empowering individuals to take control of their financial landscape.
Setting Up Mint for Recurring Payments
Setting up Mint for tracking recurring payments can be a game changer for anyone looking to take control of their finances. This move not only helps in organizing expenses but also in highlighting patterns in spending and reminding users of upcoming due dates. A solid setup can yield insights that help refine budgeting practices, making it a crucial first step in the journey towards financial stability.
Creating a Mint Account
To get the ball rolling, creating a Mint account is necessary. The process is straightforward: all you need is an email address and a password. Mint is user-friendly, designed specifically for people who may not be finance aficionados. After signing up, users are guided through simple steps to provide their financial data securely.
Having a good account also means you can personalize settings based on individual financial situations. For example, connecting various banks or accounts right from the get-go paves the way for a clearer overview of your financial landscape. A brief but vital point here is to use a strong password, combining numbers and letters to enhance security. Remember, protecting your financial data is paramount.
Connecting Bank Accounts and Credit Cards
Once the account is set up, connecting bank accounts and credit cards is the next logical step. This integration is where Mint shines, aggregating data from multiple sources into one accessible overview. Users can input their bank login credentials directly in Mint, allowing the platform to fetch real-time data about income and expenditures.
The beauty of this process lies in its automation. By linking accounts, you can monitor funds more effectively, staying on top of cash flow. However, be mindful of your bank's security policies. Safeguarding personal information should always remain a priority. Users may also want to periodically review connected accounts to ensure only those that give value remain linked.
Customizing Notifications for Recurring Payments
As hobbies and activities shift, so do financial priorities, which is why customizing notifications in Mint for recurring payments is essential. Each user can tailor their alerts to stay informed about upcoming transactions. For instance, one might want to be notified a week before a subscription renews or when a payment exceeds a certain threshold. This flexibility allows individuals to manage their finances proactively and sustainably.
Not only do these notifications serve as reminders, but they also help in budgeting effectively by prompting users to reassess their needs on a regular basis. Just like keeping a pet demands constant attention, monitoring your recurring expenses helps avoid financial pitfalls and unnecessary fees. By staying aware, users can mitigate the risk of missing payments, incurring late fees, or neglecting to cancel unused services.
"Regularly checking in on your financial commitments can feel like a chore, but the long-term benefits often outweigh the momentary inconvenience."
In summary, setting up Mint for recurring payments isn't merely a task to tick off; it involves establishing a framework that can help foster healthier financial habits over time.
Identifying Recurring Payments within Mint
Understanding how to identify recurring payments within Mint is crucial for establishing a solid grip on your financial habits. Spotting these payments not only sheds light on where your money consistently goes, but also allows for greater foresight in your budgeting. When users can easily track these charges, they’re in a better position to manage their cash flow and identify potential areas for savings or optimization.
Navigating the Transactions Tab
The Transactions Tab in Mint serves as your financial diary, detailing every bump and grind your finances encounter. Once you log in, look for this tab, typically situated in the main navigation menu. It’s like having a roadmap of your financial landscape. Here’s how to make it work for you:
- Scroll Through Your Transactions: Begin by scanning through all listed transactions. You might want to adjust the date range to match your billing cycle. This ensures that you’re not missing any payments that might be easy to overlook.
- Look for Patterns: Pay attention to the nature of the expenses. Recurring transactions often show up with certain regularity—weekly, monthly, or yearly. If something appears like clockwork, mark it down.
- Use Filters: Mint provides filtering options that allow you to sort transactions by category, date, and more. This can help isolate those pesky subscriptions or recurring bills, making them easier to spot.
This tool is invaluable. Not only does it keep track of your daily spending, but it also unveils the repeating shadows in your financial picture.
Using the Spending Insights Feature
Mint’s Spending Insights feature acts like a magnifying glass on your financial habits. Here’s why you should tap into it:
You'll get a visual representation of where your money flows, making it easier to recognize recurring payments.
- Overview Dashboards: These dashboards give you an immediate sense of your spending patterns over time. Through graphs and pie charts, we gain clarity on our finances which is hard to achieve with just numbers.
- Category Breakdown: Spending Insights usually categorize expenses into neat sections, showing how much you're spending on essentials versus luxuries. Recurring payments often come under subscriptions or utilities. Pinpointing those can help in recognizing if you need to cut back.
Using this feature effectively shines a light on your monthly obligations, empowering you to make informed decisions.
Categorizing Recurring Payments
Once you have your recurring payments identified, the next step is classification. Think of it like sorting your sock drawer—you’ll want the like with like to avoid chaos. Here's how you can do it effectively:
- Custom Categories: Mint allows you to create custom categories. This could mean labeling payments under Utilities, Entertainment, or even Health. Think of all your subscriptions and critical payments that repeat.
- Adjust and Fine-tune: As time rolls on, expenses may change or new subscriptions may pop up. Keep an eye on your categories. Adjust them to reflect your current situation.
- Review Regularly: Make it a habit to review these categories monthly. It doesn’t take long, yet this reflection can help you spot trends or areas where you might be overspending.
Regularly categorizing and reviewing your recurring payments not only helps in budgeting but is essential for long-term financial goals.
By taking these steps, you’ll go from a passive observer of your finances to an active participant in managing them, which ultimately leads to improved financial health.
Analyzing Your Recurring Payments
When it comes to managing your personal finances, understanding your recurring payments is about as crucial as knowing how much air you breathe. These payments, which can quickly add up, often fly under the radar until they leave you feeling strapped for cash. The act of analyzing these expenses in Mint provides not only clarity but lays a strong foundation for better budgeting decisions moving forward.
Key Benefits of Analyzing Recurring Payments:
- Enhanced Financial Awareness: By regularly reviewing your recurring expenses, you can get a clearer picture of where your money goes each month.
- Opportunity to Optimize Spending: It's not just about knowing what you spend; it’s about realizing if those expenditures are necessary.
- Setting Realistic Budgets: Understanding your total obligations helps to create budgets that won’t leave you drowning in bills.
- Informed Decision Making: When you grasp the full extent of your financial commitments, you can make better decisions regarding other financial goals.
Moreover, understanding the impact of these payments on your cash flow is vital. You’ll discover that some monthly charges are simply eating away at your disposable income. It's about taking your financial temperature and making adjustments where necessary.
Assessing Total Monthly Obligations
Understanding your total monthly obligations is a key step in evaluating your financial landscape. Use Mint to capture every recurring transaction, which allows you to see how much money leaves your account each month. Here’s how you can cheat the cycle of financial stress:
- Gather Data: Start by navigating to the transactions tab in Mint. Filter for recurring payments; this presents a clear view of all your monthly bills.
- Calculate the Totals: Once you've pinpointed these payments, add them up. It may surprise you how quickly things can spiral out of control. Existence of seemingly minor subscriptions for apps and services can collectively become significant chunks of change.
- Be Objective: Can you justify each expense? This is where you can decide if an expense is legitimate or if it should find its way to the chopping block.
"Regularly assessing your total monthly obligations can lead to better financial habits and ultimate peace of mind."
Spotting Unused or Unnecessary Subscriptions
The clutter of unused subscriptions often hides in plain sight, stealthily accumulating costs that could otherwise be invested elsewhere. Mint has features that help you double-check if you're still getting value from said subscriptions.
- Review Your Subscriptions: Search through the transactions to identify whether they are still being utilized. Some costs sneak through, sticking around long after their initial value has faded away.
- Categorize by Usage: Create categories in Mint, such as "Active," "Inactive," or "Needs Review". This categorization encourages you to scrutinize those that you may have overlooked.
- Assess the Value: For each subscription, weigh its importance against its cost. This can free up a surprising amount of cash, enabling you to channel that into savings or investments, perhaps into bolstering your credit score.
By undertaking a thorough analysis of your recurring payments, you position yourself to command better control over your finances. Harness Mint to help make informed, profitable decisions that ultimately create a more flourishing financial future.
Strategies for Managing Recurring Payments
Managing recurring payments efficiently can greatly influence your overall financial health. In many households, these payments—be it subscriptions, utility bills, or membership dues—can add up quickly, often without individuals realizing the full impact on their budget. This section pinpoints effective strategies for monitoring and managing these obligations using Mint, aiming to help individuals gain control over their finances and make informed decisions.
Budgeting for Recurring Expenses
When it comes to budgeting, understanding how much of your income goes towards recurring expenses is essential. Mint allows users to categorize these payments, enabling a clearer picture of monthly obligations. To budget effectively:
- List all your recurring payments: Make a detailed list of subscriptions and regular bills. Mint’s transaction logs can help identify this.
- Prioritize payments: Once listed, rank the payments based on necessity. Essentials like rent, utilities, and loan repayments should take precedence over discretionary subscriptions like streaming services.
- Allocate a monthly budget: Assign a specific amount toward these recurring expenses. This discipline helps prevent overspending and keeps you on track.
This structured approach alleviates financial stress and minimizes surprises at the end of the month.
Negotiating or Canceling Services
Not all recurring payments are etched in stone. Many services offer flexibility, which can lead you to reconsider whether these payments fit your current needs. Evaluating services means looking at your usage and recognizing when to negotiate or even cancel. Here’s how:
- Review lingering subscriptions: Using Mint, regularly assess your transaction history to spot subscriptions that you haven’t used in a while. Don’t hold on to options that drain your finances without providing value.
- Negotiate with providers: Many companies value customer retention and may offer discounts or promotions if you reach out. This could significantly lower your expenses. Say you’ve been a loyal customer for years; don’t be shy to mention this.
- Cancel when necessary: If a service no longer aligns with your needs or if a better alternative arises, don’t hesitate to pull the plug. An unused subscription is money wasted.
By actively negotiating terms or letting go of non-essential services, you can fine-tune your financial commitments.
Setting Financial Goals Based on Payment Insights
Ultimately, recurring payments provide a unique opportunity for goal-setting. Insights gained from reviewing how you spend can drive financial improvement. Here are some practical steps to consider:
- Create actionable goals: If you know that your subscription spending is high, set a goal to reduce this by, say, 20%. This target provides a clear milestone and motivates you to change your habits.
- Adjust based on data: Mint’s analytics feature gives you a historical view of how payments fluctuate. Use this data to create smarter financial goals that adapt to your lifestyle.
- Regularly revisit your goals: As circumstances change, so should your objectives. Periodically, assess whether your initial targets are still relevant and achievable.
"Goals can act as a compass; they guide your financial decisions and propel you toward a more manageable budget."
By implementing these strategies within Mint, you can transform the way you handle recurring payments, enhancing your financial literacy and control. Monitoring, assessing, and acting upon your recurring payment insights empowers you to stay not just afloat but thriving in your financial journey.
Technical Support and Resources for Mint Users
Navigating the world of personal finance is no small task, and having the right support can make a world of difference. That’s where technical support and resources for Mint users come into play. It’s not just about using a tool but ensuring that you’re maximizing its features effectively.
Mint is a robust platform with a plethora of features meant to help individuals keep track of their recurring payments and overall finances. However, even the best tools can come with their own set of hurdles. From login issues to understanding how to categorize payments correctly, having access to reliable technical support can ease many frustrations.
Mint's Help Center
The Help Center within Mint is the first port of call for users experiencing difficulties. It serves as a comprehensive repository of articles, tutorials, and FAQs designed to address common queries that users might face.
- Accessibility: The Help Center is easy to navigate, making it a breeze to find articles on everything from general troubleshooting to specific features like recurring payment tracking.
- Self-Service Solutions: For those who prefer looking for answers themselves, the collection of articles helps users learn at their own pace.
- Regular Updates: Mint frequently updates the Help Center to reflect new features or changes in the service. This means that the information you find is often current and relevant.
"Remember, empowering yourself with knowledge mitigates frustration and enhances your financial mastery."
User Community and Forums
Another invaluable resource is the user community and forums associated with Mint. Engaging with fellow users can offer perspectives and solutions that the official help documentation might not cover.
- Peer Insights: Discussions often reveal tips and hacks that seasoned users have discovered. These can range from budgeting tricks to innovative ways of setting up alerts for payments.
- Shared Experiences: Community members often share their own challenges and how they overcame them, making it easier for others to find solutions to their own problems.
- Active Participation: Users can also ask questions directly in the forums, seeking advice from experienced users—all while building a network of support within the financial community.
Utilizing Mint is much more effective with access to these technical support resources. As you work through your financial journey, don’t hesitate to dive into the Help Center and connect with fellow users in the forums. This combination can significantly enhance your experience, making you feel more in control of your financial health.
The Role of Recurring Payments in Financial Health
The world is no stranger to the concept of recurring payments, weaving them into the fabric of our everyday financial obligations. Understanding these payments isn’t just about knowing when they happen; it’s about grasping their ripple effects on one’s overall financial landscape. Often, these consist of monthly subscriptions, utility bills, and loan payments, among others. Each of these can tell a unique story about spending habits, priorities, and potential areas for financial optimization.
Understanding Cash Flow Implications
When we talk about cash flow, it's simply the money flowing in and out of your hands over a period of time. Regular payments can certainly sway cash flow significantly. If you’re not keeping tabs on what goes out, you might find yourself in a poor position before the month's even halfway through. Recurring payments can create a tightrope walk where even a minor slip can cause financial stress.
Monitoring these payments through tools like Mint helps you establish a clear picture of your immediate financial obligations. For instance, if your monthly rent or mortgage is due, that’s a fixed recurring payment that must be factored into your budget first and foremost. Breaking down these expenses month-over-month can help in recognizing patterns. Are those streaming subscriptions eating away too much of your paycheck? Keeping an eye on cash flow with the help of insights from Mint empowers you to make informed decisions.
- Prioritize essentials: Identify which payments are non-negotiable, such as rent or utilities.
- Spot trends: Use historical data to see if certain payments have risen over time and question if these rises are justifiable.
"An accurate awareness of cash inflows and outflows can not only safeguard you against overdrafts but can assist you in setting realistic budgeting goals."
Building a Balanced Financial Profile
A balanced financial profile isn’t just about numbers crunched on a spreadsheet; it’s an art that blends expense management with long-term financial goals. An overwhelming amount of recurring payments leave little room for saving or investing. A keen understanding of these payments allows you to strike that balance effectively.
Mint can aid in building a well-rounded financial outlook by providing a visual representation of your recurring financial commitments. With the ability to categorize these payments, you can better perceive how much of your income goes toward luxuries versus necessities. This understanding can inspire more prudent spending habits and ultimately lead you to:
- Allocate funds wisely: Understand where your money is going and shift priorities as needed.
- Encourage savings: Identify surplus after necessary expenses to direct toward emergency funds or investments.
Balancing repayments against what you earn isn’t simply a good-to-have; it’s a necessity for a healthy financial future. Staying on top of your recurring payments ultimately leads to minimizing stress and laying the groundwork for reaching personal financial goals.
End and Next Steps
As we wrap things up on how to use Mint effectively to keep an eye on your recurring payments, it’s vital to underline why this topic matters. Understanding these payments isn’t just about keeping track of monthly dues. It’s about taking control of your financial landscape. When you know where your money is going, you can make better decisions that impact your future.
Monitoring recurring payments leads to various benefits, the most significant being improved cash flow management. The clarity that comes from seeing all those financial commitments laid out can be a game changer. You start to recognize patterns, identify areas where you overspend, and ultimately gain confidence in your financial decisions.
Consider some critical elements as you move ahead:
- Regularly updating your payment information in Mint ensures you're always in the loop about your expenses.
- Adjusting your budget based on observed spending habits allows for smarter financial planning.
- Making a habit out of reviewing your recurring payments monthly can help catch any surprises early on.
Incorporating these practices into your life can steer you away from the murky waters of financial uncertainty. With Mint by your side, you’ll find that tracking those payments may just be the first step in a larger journey toward financial enlightenment.
Continuing to Monitor Payments
Continuing to monitor your recurring payments is not a task that ends with just a one-time setup. Life is dynamic and so are your financial commitments. New subscriptions may pop up, and some may vanish without you realizing. Therefore, it’s crucial to conduct regular check-ins with your Mint account. This is as simple as setting a reminder on your phone each month to review your transactions.
By doing this, you’ll not only keep a pulse on your spending habits but also catch any unauthorized payments that might slip through the cracks. A good practice is to categorize transactions promptly. This way, you'll always know at a glance where your hard-earned cash is going.
Integrating Insights into Broader Financial Planning
When you start to see the bigger picture, Mint can help in integrating these insights into your broader financial strategy. Think about each recurring payment as a piece of a larger puzzle of your financial health.
- Create a comprehensive budget: Once you have a complete picture of your monthly obligations, you can craft a realistic budget.
- Set financial goals: With Mint's functionality, identifying areas to cut back becomes evident. Let’s say you notice unnecessary subscriptions—canceling those could free up funds for savings.
- Evaluate your priorities: Understanding what's critical can shift your planning. Perhaps you find that a streaming service isn’t as important anymore; you can redirect those funds toward an emergency fund.
Connecting the dots from recurring payments to your long-term financial goals makes the journey less like wandering in the dark and more like following a well-lit path. This foresight not only enhances financial responsibility but can also improve your credit score, an invaluable asset in today’s world.
Keeping an eye on your recurring payments is like keeping your financial ship steady; it’s not just about surviving but thriving.
