New Year, New Me by Kristen Math

The plan was to live as if we were still in training once fellowship was over. My husband and I imagined paying off all of our debt in the first 5 years and accumulating enough savings to buy land, a house in Germany and travel to Disney World each year. Do yousee where this is going?

Obviously, our expectations were a little high. Because we also are poor managers of money, we haven’t saved a dime. If our retirement money wasn’t automatically deducted each month, we might be looking at a cardboard box in our future.  We are still living paycheck to paycheck despite the best of intentions. It seems that now our wants and *needs* have just become more expensive.

Each month we have set out with a new budget plan. ..and each month, we have failed ourselves. I, of course, blame him. (But I’m guessing that he is secretly blaming me!). We each sneak $20 here and there believing that neither of us will miss that small amount. With two people dipping into the family funds, it’s no wonder that at the end of the month we can’t figure out where the money has gone.

My New Year’s Resolution this year is to get this under control once and for all. I have decided that the only person I can control is me, and so between you and I…and the computer between us, I’ll let you in on my secret.

I opened up a secret savings account.

In 18 days, I have managed to save $107.45 by following a few easy steps:

Second-Hand Ka-Ching

I began sorting baby clothes and toys for sale at our local second hand shop. I deposited the even dollar amount and change ($20.45) into my new account and pocketed the remaining $4.00. If I had kept the money in my wallet, I would have spent it without even thinking twice. Now, it is tucked away earning a little interest.

Pay in Cash and Plan Ahead

One of the biggest fixed costs in our monthly budget is groceries. With a family of seven (and one still in diapers) it isn’t hard to imagine that our trips to Coborn’s can become very expensive. I went back through our checking account and determined how much money I was spending each week. By doing strict meal planning and heading to the store with cash (instead of the check card) and a detailed shopping list, I was able to shave $50 off of the bill each week. I deposited $40 each week into savings and kept the $20 to buy stocking stuffers at the Dollar Store.

Pay Yourself

Instead of withdrawing money every few days, I decided to give myself a $40/weekly allowance. From that money, I also automatically deposited $7 into savings. After the holidays are over, I plan on depositing 10% each week into the new account. I am amazed that I have been able to save over $100 in less than a month. I am motivated by imagining the look on my husband’s face next year when we begin to discuss the family vacation and I offer to pay for it. Hopefully, when he sees how much money I have been able to save by simply cutting back and putting the extra money into savings instead of spending it, he will be motivated to do the same.

Look out Disney, here we come!