I was reading a blog the other day and the author was lamenting that she felt like she was spending too much of her time worrying about saving money for retirement and not living her life. She is in her early thirties. Really? I felt like offering my services to her. Anyone interested in having a master show you how to spend your money? Look no further. I have a doctorate in how to spend, spend, spend, until there is nothing, nothing, nothing! Most people have something put away for a rainy day. I would settle for something for a light drizzly morning!
I have a knack for coming up with what I like to call “creative financing.” I can usually find or make money. Holding on to it? Not so much. One time when I was short on grocery money, but had available credit at Sears, I bought myself a 100.00 gift certificate, purchased an item for 25.00 and got the balance in cash. SHAZAM! Groceries! Ever wonder why they don’t give cash back on gift certificates anymore?
I didn’t have good home training. My mother once told me that if you wanted to buy something, you should use the cash to pay your credit card bill and THEN buy the item with the credit card. It was like doubling your money! “Savings “and an “emergency fund” basically meant having more than 100.00 available credit on a credit card or two.
I would love to say that has changed. I started out last year trying the popular 52 week saving plan that everyone was talking about online. I managed to get a few dollars put away, but a couple of unexpected expenses came up and wiped it out.
Things got a little tight in the fall and then that budget buster known as Christmas showed up and I basically fell off the savings wagon. Hard. On my head.
I have spent the last few months juggling and stressing, worrying about a lot of “what ifs.” Was the old familiar bad feelings enough to get me back on the straight and narrow?
So it was with great pride today, I took a portion of my federal tax return to the bank and deposited it my lonely savings account. Not a lot mind you, but a start. The devil that popped up on my shoulder trying to get me to buy something on my huge “want” list was thwarted. For now.
One dollar and one day at a time.
I have a knack for coming up with what I like to call “creative financing.” I can usually find or make money. Holding on to it? Not so much. One time when I was short on grocery money, but had available credit at Sears, I bought myself a 100.00 gift certificate, purchased an item for 25.00 and got the balance in cash. SHAZAM! Groceries! Ever wonder why they don’t give cash back on gift certificates anymore?
I didn’t have good home training. My mother once told me that if you wanted to buy something, you should use the cash to pay your credit card bill and THEN buy the item with the credit card. It was like doubling your money! “Savings “and an “emergency fund” basically meant having more than 100.00 available credit on a credit card or two.
I would love to say that has changed. I started out last year trying the popular 52 week saving plan that everyone was talking about online. I managed to get a few dollars put away, but a couple of unexpected expenses came up and wiped it out.
Things got a little tight in the fall and then that budget buster known as Christmas showed up and I basically fell off the savings wagon. Hard. On my head.
I have spent the last few months juggling and stressing, worrying about a lot of “what ifs.” Was the old familiar bad feelings enough to get me back on the straight and narrow?
So it was with great pride today, I took a portion of my federal tax return to the bank and deposited it my lonely savings account. Not a lot mind you, but a start. The devil that popped up on my shoulder trying to get me to buy something on my huge “want” list was thwarted. For now.
One dollar and one day at a time.
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