How I Quit Being Scared of Money

Simple routines that slowly built a more confident, clearer relationship with money

Fat Hand and Dollars, Monte Carlo, 1986 | Helmut Newton

I'm that one friend who's not afraid to talk about money. If you read Part I, you know this wasn't always the case. For a long time, I figured I just wasn't good with it—a story I picked up in a household where money felt confusing because no matter what was happening, we never seemed to have enough.

This all started to shift when I became friends with someone who spoke about money as if it were the weather. No shame. Just honest, casual conversation. They were taking trips, enjoying great meals, living their whole entire lives, and still being responsible. Suddenly, I wondered: Was I actually bad with money, or had I just learned to be afraid of it?

So I started small. Simple routines that slowly built a more confident, clearer relationship with money.

Welcome to Part II of my money mini-series. This isn’t about mastering money. It’s about showing up consistently, building trust with yourself, and learning as you go.

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The Easiest First Step

The first habit I built was getting to know myself financially. I started each day by simply looking at my spending, not to fix anything, but to face it.

Low-stakes, high-benefit:

• It built awareness without pressure

• Helped me break the cycle of avoidance

• Laid the foundation for bigger changes

(Time: 2–3 minutes a day.)

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From Noticing to Doing

After a while, I started to notice patterns. Certain purchases kept showing up that didn’t seem like much, but added up quickly. At the time, for me, it was books and magazines.

The question wasn’t “How do I stop?” It was, “How do I still enjoy this... for less?

I picked my top three magazines and subscribed to them instead of buying them individually. A $5 monthly issue adds up to $60 per year, while most subscriptions cost $20–30, dropping the cost per issue to under $ 2.50. I also stopped buying books new. I used ThriftBooks and secondhand sellers to save 50–70% per title.

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Going After My Biggest Expense

Once I saw how much the small changes helped, I turned to the biggest line item in my budget: housing.

At the time, rent was swallowing a good chunk of my income. (Housing takes up 30–40% of income for most U.S. households.) I knew if I could lower that, I’d have more breathing room to live my life.

So I slowed down. Instead of rushing into the next place out of stress because I didn’t plan when the lease was up, I made it a strategy: find something that felt good and cost less. And I did. The savings weren't just financial, they were emotional. I now had less monthly pressure and more margin.

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The Trust Fall: Autopay

Next, I made one of the hardest decisions: setting my bills to autopay.

This wasn't just scary, it was terrifying. I was handing over the keys to my bank account to companies that could drain every dollar I had. One billing error, one system glitch, and I could be wiped out. (Today, I would use a credit card for autopay to get points, + it’s much safer.)

Autopay became a trust-building exercise not just with money, but with myself. It freed up mental space, eliminated late fees, and helped me practice ease. And since I was checking my accounts daily, I could still catch any mistakes or unexpected charges (which never happened). I didn’t feel out of control. I felt supported.

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The Number I Was Most Afraid to See

All of these routines gave me the confidence to take the step I feared most: checking my credit.

That same friend who didn’t seem to sweat money said, “Cash is cool, but credit is king.”

And he was right. But I had real financial wounds that made credit scary territory. My credit had been damaged by someone I trusted when I was younger, and facing it felt impossible.

I finally went to freecreditreport.com, held my breath, and took a look. It certainly wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t the nightmare I’d built in my head. I printed it out, sat with it, and for the first time, made a plan.

Another money-like-weather person—my accountant, who had become a friend—walked me through it: Take a day off work (because the amount of calling around or waiting on hold is REAL), call every company on the report, and ask “What can I pay to have this removed from my credit?”

In some cases, I paid the full amount. In others, I negotiated and paid less. Thanks to the savings I’d built up, I could actually do it—and I did.

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Thinking Outside the Paycheck

As I got my financial house in order, I also looked for ways to increase my income, not by taking on more pressure, but by thinking differently. I returned things I hadn't used (even if it meant store credit), consigned clothes and furniture I no longer wanted, and picked up a small personal assistant gig that I genuinely enjoyed.

Because cutting back is only one side of the story, the other side is earning differently, and sometimes that requires a little imagination.

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None of this felt great in the moment, but I'll be honest, I started feeling really confident about my coins. I felt strong, sturdy, capable. I was facing the things I'd been most afraid of, repairing what I could, and most importantly, rebuilding trust with myself.

So now it’s your turn. What small step feels right for you?

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About Me

I’m Myleik Teele, an entrepreneur, coach, and community builder. Over the past decade, I have built, scaled, and closed CURLBOX, creating a blueprint for modern brand-building and cultivating thriving communities both online and in real life. Now, my focus is on helping people—from high-level entrepreneurs and executives to those simply trying to create a life that feels good—play bigger while actually enjoying the journey.

If you’re ready to stop avoiding and start building the life you actually want, [get on my coaching interest list] or [explore ways to work together], you can also find me on Instagram and my podcast, where I dive into life, business, and everything in between.