When funds are easily accessible, they’re easily spent

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

By Tsippi Gross and Rivky Rothenberg

There’s a unique satisfaction in seeing your hard-earned money sitting in your bank account. But that same visibility can be the downfall of your best financial intentions. When funds are easily accessible, they’re easily spent — often on things that aren’t essential, leaving you unprepared for the moments that truly matter.

Think of making a chasunah for one of your children. You want to save in advance, building a cushion so you can approach that milestone with financial ease. But if that savings is sitting in the same account you use for regular living expenses, it’s all too easy to dip into it without realizing the impact. A little here for an unexpected repair, a little there for a bigger-than-usual grocery bill, and before you know it, the balance is far lower than you’d hoped. When it comes time to marry off your child, the funds you thought would be there simply aren’t, leaving you scrambling to fill the gap.

Now imagine a different scenario. Those chasunah savings are moved out of reach —maybe into a separate account you can’t access with your regular debit card. Over time, the balance quietly grows, untouched by day-to-day expenses. When the time comes to celebrate, you’re prepared, knowing that you’ve built a solid foundation for the simchah without stress or financial strain.

This approach — moving money “out of sight, out of mind” — is powerful. Yes, it requires discipline up front, but it creates freedom later. By placing your savings somewhere less accessible, you’re giving yourself the gift of limitation. It’s as if the money doesn’t exist, and so you learn to live comfortably with less. For many, this strategy removes the temptation of overspending and allows them to focus on their true financial priorities.

When savings are always within reach, it’s easy to rationalize using them for short-term wants. But when important or urgent expenses arise — as they are guaranteed to —unexpected medical expenses, a large home repair — you’re left scrambling, sometimes at a high emotional and financial price. The stress of unplanned borrowing or cutting corners is a heavy burden.

So, how do you start? Begin small. Open an account specifically for savings and move a fixed amount into it each month. Commit to not touching it unless it’s for the purpose you’ve designated. If necessary, make it inconvenient to access — use a bank without a nearby branch or disable online transfers. Over time, you’ll adapt to living without those funds in your regular budget, and you’ll see the account grow. That growth represents more than money; it’s the foundation of a more secure, thoughtful financial future.

By putting your money where you can’t see it, you’re not depriving yourself — you’re empowering yourself.

Tsippi Gross is a business consultant and Rivky Rothenberg is a CPA. Together they started Ashir, a nonprofit that provides financial training for communities and families.

Three Types of Procrastination

By Hadassah Eventsur

IF you find yourself procrastinating, identify the type of procrastination you’re doing —t his can bring you one step closer to breaking through what’s blocking you from acting.

The first type of procrastination is Perfectionistic Procrastination. With this type of procrastination, we’re perpetually in a state of getting ready, but aren’t actually doing the thing we want or need to do. This is because perfectionists don’t want to start something until they can do it 100 percent correctly. If they can do something perfectly, they figure, they’ll be immune to criticism. Staying in this state of “getting ready” paralyzes us because level of readiness can’t actually be measured, so we have no way of knowing if we’re there yet. Ask yourself, “What does it mean for my identity if I don’t do something perfectly?” Just asking yourself this question can go a long way to relieving some of our perfectionism.

The second type is Avoidance Procrastination. We don’t take action because we’re trying to avoid a negative emotion. An example of this would be procrastinating calling our bank to settle a late fee to avoid feeling the shame associated with not paying a bill in a timely manner. Ask yourself, “What is the negative emotion I’m trying to avoid by not taking action?” That will lift some of the burden of this uncomfortable emotion.

The last type is called Operational Procrastination. We do this when our brain can’t figure out how to do a task, so we avoid taking action. Take the task of “finding a job.” This task is so big and has so many steps that we become overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. With Operational Procrastination, we need to break the task down into smaller parts until we have a list of steps we can take to get started.

Hadassah Eventsur MS, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist, certified life coach, and founder of MindfullyYou to support women struggling with executive functioning

Small Investments

By Shoshana Schwartz

You might have heard the expression, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”

The same is true for our bodies. The opposite of self-care isn’t self-harm — it’s self-neglect.

Self-care isn’t about grand gestures or indulgences — it’s about consistently treating yourself with kindness. Studies show that even small, mindful self-care practices can lower stress hormones, boost mood, improve emotional resilience, and support productivity.

Yet during the busiest times, we often abandon our wellbeing in the name of productivity. This year, as you tackle your pre-Pesach lists, add one more category: small acts of self-care. A five-minute stretch before supper. A cup of tea, sipped slowly, not gulped on the go. A short walk around the block. A nourishing meal instead of whatever’s quickest.

When you make small investments in self-care, you’re not only more productive, but also better able to spread vitality, calm, and joy.

Shoshana Schwartz specializes in overcoming compulsive behaviors, including emotional eating, codependency, and addiction. She’s the founder of The Satisfied Self.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 937)