It has been one week into the New Year. Today I've asked myself whether or not I've made progress towards working on my resolutions. I can honestly say a definitive "Yes!" The key word here is "progress." I know that in order to fulfill my resolutions I need take baby steps that move towards those goals. The key to making these steps is to make changes in not only old habits but also beliefs. The saying that change is never is so true. It isn't and this week has not been easy. But I've made progress.One of the changes I've stuck to this week to save money everyday. I brought my lunch to work rather than buying something. This saved me at least $5 dollars a day or $25 this week. While commuting to work I kept my speed at the speed limit of 65 and used the heater sparingly. People say that fast speeds and use of the a/c and heater just drains the gas tank. I figured I saved at least $5 a day or $25 this week. I gave second and third thoughts of my mental urges to buy a new purse and CD by seriously asking myself, "Do I really NEED this or do I WANT this." Of course the answer to that was the latter. I figured that this saved me a minimum of $15 this week. Assuming I continue this pattern for one month, I estimate I saved $65 this week! On a monthly basis that means I could save $260 this month....or $2,880 a year!!
Once I thought this out I could not help but feel pretty good about this progress, but it wasn't easy. Not giving in to old habits and urges is hard. It didn't help that my coworkers were eating in the same lunch room with lunch they bought. The smell of In N Out burgers and fries.....sushi and teriyaki dishes.....Mexican food.. made me envious of my coworkers as I was eating spaghetti and meatballs for the third time this week! As I'm rummaging through my old purse, visions of ads in the daily newspaper with big sales on purses came to my mind. On my daily commute I was one of the few turtles on the freeway as it seemed that all other cars were whizzing by me by at least 15 miles per hour! As I am in my car I'm shivering. It's 38 degrees outside and seems about that same temperature inside my car.
You may be wondering what kept me going this week. It was the thought of the peace and security financial freedom and zero debt would bring. It was the reminder that giving in to impulse buying and immediate need for gratification through acquiring material objects just leads one into a life of debt. It was the acceptance that this needs to happen for my benefit and my family's. It was the acceptance that without feeling "pain" there would likely be no gain. Without changes there cannot be growth. Changes ARE the seeds for growth.
So I ate spaghetti three times this week. I found myself grateful for being to have something to eat. Ok...so I have an old purse. It still can hold my personal belongings like my wallet and makeup bag. Ok....so I'm freezing in my car. I'll just put a jacket and gloves on. Ok....I'm being flashed and honked by the cars behind me for going too slow. I'll just drive in the right lane and be thankful that it won't be me that will likely get a $300 speeding ticket! That just means I just saved $3,180 in a year!!! I'll take that anyday!
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2 comments:
Congrats on saving money to get out of debt! My wife and I are also trying to do this. However, as someone who can't stand to be cold myself, I thought I'd pass on the following info. Don't freeze in your car! The heat comes off of the explosions in your engine. It's produced whether you use the heater or not. The fan does take electricity to run, so there's a tiny bit more energy dragged off of your battery and you're alternator will have to run a bit to recharge it. But this small amount would cost pennies in a year not dollars in a week. Yes, running the A/C does add extra drag because your engine has to turn the compressor when you turn it on. This creates extra drag on the engine and makes it work harder which uses more gas. So the heater by itself is ok to use. Save money by not using the A/C if you can stand it. Also, rolling down the windows to cool off costs as much or more than the A/C because of the drag the wind creates. Good luck saving where you can, but don't freeze for nothin'!!
Thank you for passing this information along because I've been under a different impression. Yours make more sense. I truly believe that the more information and advice we can share with each other, the better for all that can benefit. Good luck to you and your wife on saving money. My husband and I continue to find ways to save but the other challenge is being persistent on staying on the "saving" mentality. Please keep checking back and contributing where you can! Please also check out the links to my blog as there are some useful links to ways to save money, including coupons, ideas for living frugally. Thanks again!
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