Since losing my job 6 weeks before Addie was born, we have been trying to be more creative with our finances. I would love to tell you that we had a savings of 3 mos salary but we didn't. So when we got 2 weeks notice that we would no longer be getting my pay check we were kind of like "now what". I truly don't believe that we live "way" above our means, we have no car payments, I drive a fabulous 9 yr old mini-van that my brother and sis-in-law so kindly gave us for free, we live in a modest 1950's cape cod that we got for a stellar deal, so realistically we should be able to live off of 1 income easily. Right? Um yah that's another one of those "in a perfect" world statement. So for the last 9 mos, I have curbed our spending but that still wasn't enough. And that is how my New Year's Resolution was born.
My Goal for 2011 was to make this SAHM/working from home gig work, lose the baby weight, read more, watch t.v.less and ultimately spend less everyday. So I devised a plan, every day I say a dollar equals a minute, my daily quest is to exercise,read and listen to music more than I spend. So on the big bill days for example our water bill is aprox $250 every 3 mos, so when that bill is due I have to spend 250 minutes exercising,reading and listing to music. (Combined of course!!) Now I would love to tell you I get to read books of my choice but typically my reading consists of A Fly Went By, Good Night Gorilla, you get the picture, it's still reading none the less and time that we aren't watching t.v.
Now you may be wondering how this plan is working out for me so far...the answer is really well. Our spending has definitely decreased, I don't get as seduced to go on a mindless trip to Target just to get out of the house where I somehow always spend $100 with out knowing what I actually bought. Now every time I pick something up to buy even if it's at the grocery I ask myself these 3 questions: 1) Do we really need this? 2) Can I live without it? and 3) Is it worth X amount of my time? (Since $1=1 min) I find that changing my perspective really does change my attitude towards buying things. Because at the end of the day what may seem like an $8 item translates into, with dinner, bath and bed time do I really have 8 minutes tonight to exercise more? Answer probably not.
Did you make any New Year's Resolutions this year? I would love to hear, or if you have any question's you ask your self!
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Hey Christy, I thought your resolution idea was really creative and I read it to Mike...he is enjoying your blog too.
ReplyDeleteI have made myself the Health and Wellness person at my office...I recently hung this article up. I think there are some good ideas here.
FIVE TIPS FOR (FINALLY) GETTING YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION RIGHT
1. Don't be ambitious. When change is hard, aim low. A friend of ours, the editor of a wellness magazine, has a "1-Song Workout" that she does on days when she doesn't feel like working out. She tells herself, "All I have to do is work out for one song," but of course she often gets in a groove and finishes a full workout. So don't set an ambitious New Year's resolution like "I'll work out four times a week." Instead, plan to do "1-Song Workouts" on Monday and Thursday. Leave yourself room to overachieve -- that feeling of "nailing it" is what will keep you hooked.
2. Watch for bright spots. If you're trying to eat healthier, for instance, don't obsess about all the times that you slip and eat an Oreo. Instead, keep a constant watch on what does work. If you ate healthy food all day yesterday, how did you get away with it? Was it because you had healthy "heat & eat" food that was easy to fix? Was it because you never let yourself get so hungry that you'd crave fatty foods? Did you avoid the office lunch at the Mexican place? If you can understand what allowed you to succeed, you can do more of it. That's bright-spots thinking. (Need a refresher on "bright spots"?)
3. Make simple tweaks in your environment. If you're trying to increase your savings, pay with cash and leave your cards at home. If you're trying to diet, carry around a Ziploc of apple slices. If you're trying to jog, lay out your clothes the night before. If you're trying to stop oversleeping, set up a double (or triple?) alarm system. (Or buy a Clocky with your Xmas gift cards!) This stuff sounds insignificant, but it will make a big difference.
4. Rely on planning, not willpower. Your Resolution calls for a new way of behaving. And that's a challenge because you've been practicing the old way of behaving for a long time. The old way is well-paved and familiar and comfortable. So you can't just bet on willpower or good intentions to ensure your success. Use your planning skills. Get yourself on the hook for something! Don't plan to "learn Spanish." Register for a Spanish course at your local community college. Do it right now -- you're already online. Or don't "try hard" to go to the gym in the morning. Email your friend, right now, and tell 'em to come get you at 7am on January 3.
5. Publicize your resolution. We all know peer pressure works. So use it on yourself. Tell everybody you know what your resolution is. They'll bug you about it, and you won't want to disappoint them. Just knowing that they know will make you more likely to succeed. Hell, if you want, tell us. We won't bug you about it, but we'll silently root for you.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, thanks for sharing!!