I remember one of the first things I learned about money was dont count on it. Did you ever notice just when you thought you would actually not only meet all your bills but have a little left over to actually indulge yourself in something good, something happens that removes it before weve ever even seen it? The car will break down, the plumbing will leak and the list goes on.

In Feng Shui we designate certain areas of the Bagua to our money concerns and enhancing them will certainly help us hold onto it and even help us bring about prosperity into our lives. However, before we use the bagua to help utilize and create additional wealth, lets take a look at how we handle money.

For example, youre online at the grocery store and there is a line, the cashier is impatient and youre packing as fast as you can. Do you ever look at your change or take a minute to put your change away properly? Oftentimes it will just get pushed in our pockets without a thought except to get out of there. In Feng Shui Principles, this is actually disrespectful of your money. Try to step aside for a moment, put your money away properly and you can then also see at a glance about how much you have.

Keep an eye out that youre only buying necessities. When times are a little difficult financially, try to remember the difference between what you really need and what you would like to have. Buy only the necessities during this time so you can have some left over for another necessity that will surely pop up before your next pay day. Doing without some of the little things for a time will benefit you in the long run and leave you less stressed.

Although you may not know because you dont want to know, keep account of what youre charging instead of just checking the statement at the end of the month. Knowing the state of your true financial affairs include those credit cards which can get out of hand without youre even realizing it. Check on your balances periodically during the month by just calling the number on the back of the card to see your true balance that month of how you are doing financially.

Keep track of not only your regular bills but also the ones that come every six months or so, like car insurance. Being somewhat prepared for that extra money during certain months will help you to hopefully be mindful in trying to put away some money toward them so you will not feel strapped because you forgot they were due.

Of course there are many other ways to cut down even slightly on your spending. Remove services you can do without, invest in a lawnmower and do your own maintenance, think hard if you really need that expensive dinner out with friends or if youd be just as happy to see them afterward for coffee or a drink. The list is long if you really think about it. Now to Bagua your home in every sense of the word. Think of the Bagua as a layout that you can place over anything: an entire home or business including the property, a room or just a desk. You can use the Bagua in a very large space or a very small one.

Certain areas are dedicated to parts of the Bagua. For example, the center always represents health. Stand at the front of your home and the left back area will be your money area. This is the area, from an exterior that we want to enhance. If no money is coming in, you might want to use something that moves in that area to get your money moving in. Feng Shui colors for this area are Green (The Color of Money) and Purple as an accent color. So you might want to use something as simple as a Green Windsock, keeping your Intention that you would like money to start coming in by signifying movement and color. Intention creates the Energy behind it so be sure to have that in place.

You can do the same inside your house as well. Stand at the Front Door and look to your back left. Here you may want to use a fountain or green, lush plants. Remember to keep your intentions clear.

And at work or your office desk at home if you have one would require something of the same nature. Feng Shui uses a three-legged Frog to help bring in the money and this can be used on something as small as a desk. You can get a money envelope or make one yourself by coloring an envelope RED, infuse it with your intention and put three like coins in them. As always, keep your intentions clear as Feng Shui Principles dictate that our Intentions are 90% of the actual cure.

One thing to remember when you are using something moving: when the money does start to come in (and it will), you wont want it moving right out again. Now is the time to replace a moving object to another area you might like to get moving and put something heavy (be it a rock or a paperweight) to stabilize your finances. You dont want to keep the money flowing at this point as it will likely flow back out!

Making some simple changes in the way you look at money and the way you treat it and implement some easy changes around your home and business just might turn your finances around! Give it a try and youll be surprised what you can create.

Author: Carole Provenzale
Founder, Feng Shui Long Island, est. 1997
www.FengShuiLI.com FengShuiLI@aol.com