Assalamu Alaikum girlie🌸

Ramadan’s about to end, making it a beautiful time to reflect.

There’s a podcast episode that's stuck with me for months.

Ustaadh Muhammad Tim Humble on Freshly Grounded talked about money, the dunya, and contentment.

It made me ask: How much money is actually enough for me? Am I doing the most with what I have now?

Think about it for a second.

Most Muslim women I ask this -myself included- respond with a vague answer. When you dig deeper, you learn there’s a lot of fear.

We’re scared of not having "enough" but they've never actually defined what enough is.

We check their account and feel anxious.

We see $8,000 in savings and think, "Is this enough?"

We see $50,000 in investments at 28 and still think, "Is this enough?"

We don't know. Because we never decided what the target was.

We see another Muslim woman in her 20s closing on her first house.

Another one talking about her six-figure business she started during covid.

Another one sharing her "financial freedom journey" while sipping on a piña colada mocktail in Zanzibar.

And suddenly, whatever vague idea of "enough" we had, moves further away.

"Maybe I need $30k saved, not $20k."

"Maybe I should be investing aggressively for passive income."

Marriage. Kids. Emergencies. Taking care of our parents when they get older.

And "enough" starts to feel impossible.

How do you even calculate for all of that? How do you know if you're prepared?

You just keep saving. You stress. You avoid spending on yourself because "what if I need it later?"

We never actually feel safe. Because we're aiming at a target we never drew.

"Enough" isn't a number you decided on. It's just a feeling you're chasing.

It might be based on what your friends seem to have or what your parents had (or didn't have).

The reality is: You can't hit a goal you haven't defined.

"Enough" will always feel out of reach if it's just a feeling.

Map it out and it becomes attainable.

Here are some questions to sit with:

Emergency fund: How many months of expenses would make you feel secure? 3 months? 6? A year? Why that number?

Salary: Is there a specific income that would make you comfortable? Or is it more about flexibility, work-life balance, and having options?

Investments: What are you actually investing for? Retirement at 65? Financial independence at 50? A down payment? Hajj every few years?

Taking care of family: What does that responsibility look like for you? Monthly support? Covering emergencies? Helping with big expenses?

Lifestyle: What does a life you're proud of actually cost? Not the life Instagram tells you to want. The one you want.

Grab a notebook, answer the questions above, and write them down.

When you know what you’re aiming for, the anxiety starts to quiet down.

You stop comparing yourself to everyone else's highlight reel.

You stop feeling behind because you actually know where you're going.

You stop chasing a moving target and start building toward something real.

May Allah grant us contentment and accept all our good deeds, ameen.

Cheering you on,
Fatimah

P.S. Here’s a video on zakatul fitr - the obligatory charity given at the end of Ramadan for anyone who’d like a refresher 🙂