How to Have a Real Money Talk With Your Significant Other

Contrary to what you might have been taught, you don't have to entirely cut fun things out of your life in order to save money. Doing so might actually have the opposite effect: you could burn out and spend way more than you would have if you simply added spending into your budgeted.

"If it’s a splurge that you’re obsessed with and will up your quality of life — then let’s figure out how much it costs and how you’re going to pay for it," Sacks says. She recommends the 50-30-20 method for your budget.

"Start by calculating your after-tax income and break it into 3 categories: 50% for needs, 30% for wants, and 20% for future you!" she continues. "That 30% number is what we are going to focus on. That’s the amount you can spend every month on…whatever you want. This splurge included! Just make sure you don’t go over that number because you should never spend on your current self if you’re not also putting money away for future you."

Saving Up For Your Financial Goals

Budgeting helps you divide up your savings before the money goes into your account. That way, you always know what you're saving for. (It's also a good idea to have extra savings because you never know when your car will need a new battery or if you'll have an unexpected trip to the ER).

Saving requires some self-control since it's money you aren't able to spend right now, and it can be difficult to release your current spending habits. "[That stubbornness] really just comes from a fear of the unknown," Sacks says. "We often choose what is comfortable over what’s new! But the more you understand why you’re doing something, the more that stubbornness can be released." Here are some specific financial goals to save up for:

Goal: Becoming Debt-Free

Think how much more money you'll have to save *and* spend once your debt is paid off! Check out the snowball method vs. the avalanche method to figure out what's best for you, and just take it one day at a time.

Goal: Taking A Bucket-List Trip

Whether you've been dreaming of going to France since Emily in Paris dropped or you want to go on a solo trip to your favorite small town, you'll definitely want enough cash to have a good time. You can't go wrong spending money on an experience you'll love.

Goal: Scoring Tix To See Your Favorite Performer

Concert merch, movie tickets, name brand collections — start saving now for these once-in-a-lifetime events and your future self will thank you.

How To Start Investing

Investing is different than a regular savings account. When you invest your money, instead of just sitting in an account, it's put to work in a variety of projects so that you make a net profit and end up with more money than you had before. You can invest with a retirement plan, or government-related options like stocks and bonds. Here's some more investing info to get you started.

Consider getting a financial advisor early in life. Financial advisors can really make a difference in your long-term goals, whether you want to buy a home, start a family, or retire well. Make sure you find a certified financial advisor who is a fiduciary, which means they are legally or ethically bound to act in your best interest. They can help you figure out where to invest your 401Ks and really help you invest and build your savings over time.

How To Become Financially Literate + Financially Independent

Financial independence can feel like a crazy goal when you're in the throes of debt and bills. But there's one thing that can help you move toward it: financial literacy. After all, knowledge is power.

"The more that you take control of your finances, the more you take control of your life and destiny," Sacks says. "Financial literacy also ensures you never get taken advantage of and that you’re maximizing the benefits of all the financial products you use."

Everyone has a different financial situation, which means that everyone has to make different financial choices. Taking a step toward financial independence can mean anything from reexamining your grocery bill to creating streams of passive income that make you money while you sleep (more on that later).

All in all, financial literacy and financial independence can go hand-in-hand. Check out the 5 Tax Terms That Can Save You Money, or these 6 Money Tips For Kids. It's never too early to learn!

How To Make Saving Money Less Boring

You might be thinking, "Saving money just doesn't sound fun," and technically you're right. Saving might not feel fun on its own, which is exactly why we're here! Pinterest Predict's Cha-Ching Challenge got us thinking about ways that we can turn saving into a game. Try one or all of these ideas, and let us know your favorite.

Make Learning Fun

If you want to learn more about finances, find a program that puts the terminology into your language, like Sacks' own aspirational finance media company, Finance Is Cool. "It makes being good with your money chic," she says. "I designed it with the goal of helping the future rich people who follow me take control of their finances step-by-step and provide them with the tools they need to grow wealth, all with a little humor and a lot of Kardashian references so we can have fun while we learn."

Maximize Your Card

If you have a credit card, or a debit card with benefits, use the points and rewards to your advantage. Sacks loves the Amex Rewards Checking account. "I earn Membership Rewards points on eligible Debit Card purchases that I can use on shopping, traveling, and more," she says.

Set up an automated deposit into your checking account when the rewards reach a certain number, or save up all your points for a dream-worthy trip during the summer. You can also check out Brit's interview with The Points Guy for more inspo.

Make Money In Your Sleep

Create one (or more) streams of passive income to bolster your paycheck. You can create downloadable guides and video tutorials, sell photography, or add affiliate links to blog posts, but the beauty of passive income is that whatever you choose will do the work for you.

Have Regular Money Dates

A money date can be carving out time for yourself (or with your partner) to create a comfortable space and review your priorities, values, and overall financial goals and hopefully actually set a plan in motion to achieve those. Take yourself out to a cafe or have a glass of wine by your side to make it fun while feeling good about where you're going. Good luck!

@cali_spann1 this is very shocking for me chat #tsitp♬ american wedding - yen

Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah Fisher) were seen filming in front of Notre Dame. Belly's wearing a white tank and jeans, and carrying a suitcase and backpack, while Jeremiah's wearing jeans and a brown jacket. Book fans will remember that in We'll Always Have Summer, Belly and Jeremiah get engaged but call off the wedding at the last second when Jeremiah realizes Belly will always be in love with Conrad.

In college, Belly spends a few weeks in Spain, and strikes up a pen pal relationship with Conrad. Us Conrad girlies have known they were endgame since the very beginning, which is why this set leak is totally unexpected. It looks like Prime Video changed the location of Belly's travels from Spain to Paris, and I'm wondering if Jeremiah is trying to rekindle their relationship. (Unless they just run into each other like Blair and Chuck did in Gossip Girl).

The reunion in this clip ends in a hug, and fans in the comments are torn on whether it'll be a friendly hug or a romantic hug. Although, after two seasons of Jeremiah falling more and more in love with Belly, I'm not sure it's possible for him not to have romantic feelings toward her. At least, not for awhile.

@cali_spann1 giving the ppl what they want #tsitp#paris#tsitpseason3#bonrad♬ 1979 - ☆

All in all, The Summer I Turned Pretty fans have lost their minds over the new scene — especially considering Belly's time in Europe is merely mentioned in the books. Now it looks like we'll get to actually see what goes down! One TikTok comment also hints we'll see Conrad and Belly reunite in a hotel. Other TikTok users are losing it over how big Belly's backpack is, but I can promise you that when you travel around Europe, you want a backpack that huge!

All in all, I'm just hoping we see Belly explore and gain some life experience. "I for one would love several episodes of Belly's time in Spain [or Paris] maybe using it as way for her to get some space and perspective and finding herself along the way," one Reddit user says.

She'll definitely get to try out her French, and see tons of sites she's only read about before. Growing up in a small town and seeing the same group of people every year is so special, but exploring somewhere totally new is also invaluable. I want to see Belly fall in love with the view of Sacré-Cœur at sunrise. I want to see her try French food she hates in one bite, and then a pastry she can't live without in the next. Europe is the perfect place to fall in love with life — and it'll make Belly appreciate Cousins Beach even more.

What do you think about this The Summer I Turned Pretty set leak? Check out 5 Details From The Summer I Turned Pretty Ending That Reveal Who Belly Ends Up With In Season 3 for more!