THE JOURNEY TO SAVING...FINALLY!

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Oh boy, beginning a discipline with saving money. I was never taught saving growing up because in one ear it was "can't afford it" and in the other ear, "I'm broke". This coming from my parents at the time and continued throughout my teens and adulthood. Unfortunately, I carried these beliefs even after having a child. Even if I attempted to save at the local bank, I felt at the time that I could not and used the money as fast as I saved it. 

After a series of "events" which included homelessness, I had to get a clue and I mean a serious clue. No matter how much one has good intentions, we must set forth actions that show that ones' intentions are good period. I began a journey of learning what was going on in my belief system to cause me to have episodes with money. I had to do a time machine of my life and found out that growing up and listening to well-meaning people like family and others was something I had to heal. It took discipline and time yet I was ready to do it. 

As years went by, I got a clue about money yet as the layers peeled back, the dominant thought was FEAR! It was the thing that held me frozen. As I changed my beliefs, things began to change but I had one foot on the brake and on the gas. FEAR was the culprit. I then began to dig deeper and questioned those fears and am now healing them.

This morning, I looked into my savings account, yes a savings account and found money in it. I felt relief instead of fear and look forward to more. All it took was changes within and go beyond my fears, doubts and worries. On my journey of frugality, healing helps a hell of a lot because you can be frugal as well as abundant.

Please share your thoughts in the comments and always be frugal and proud!

Dot

HOW TO FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR YOUR MONEY MISTAKES

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You blew hundreds of dollars on those clothes that you did not need. Your closet was already full to the brim. Goodwill or local consignments would love to be friends with you yet you hold on to those 'needed items' just in case. 

That vacay you so desperately wanted to go on despite the fact you did not have the funds is charged on your credit card. This happened after you paid it off and wanted to cut it in half. You decided to hold on to it...maybe just once more and then cut it up.

Ok, your neighbor has better tools than you and you want what you want. You blow a bankroll on tools that will sit in the shed for how long? Months, years maybe.

After your war on spending and not sticking to a budget, the casualties result in debts to the wazoo! You ask yourself how in the glorified hell did you do this. Once the initial shock wears off, the reality sinks in: you are in debt and need help, period...that part.

You want to cry, scream, cuss yet once those emotions have run their course, it is time to sit down and get serious. Those debts won't go away by themselves so it is best to form a plan, write it down, do research on how to get out of debt (Dave Ramsey can help). 

The dust has settled and you are taking action on your plan. One of the most important things to do that folks ignore a lot of the time is forgiving themselves for the money mistakes! It is very important to forgive because what's done is done and now you are rectifying the situation by changing your behaviors. I believe this is one of the keys to money success along with budgeting, giving, and saving (these topics are for future posts😃).

Please comment below and let me know what you think.
Remember to be frugal and proud!

Dot😇

FRUGAL LIVING BABY STEPS

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As you begin your frugal journey, it may seem confusing to some of you how to begin. I will share some tips on how to use baby steps in building your frugal life:

1.) Acknowledge that your former life of debt living did not work for you and you want another life. By doing this, you are not beating yourself up but realizing that you want to change.

2.) Budget! It is so important to know where your dollars go. Never mind if a budget seems binding but did you know where your money went before? Get started!

3.) Gather all of your debt, and I mean ALL of it; from the smallest to the largest. Put the information in a big spiral notebook (the ones with dividers in them for envelopes and receipts) by columns: Date-Transaction-Account Number-Balance-Notes. Start working on paying your debts.

4.)  Get a big water jug (the ones that you see at water coolers at businesses; you can also get a small one at the local store: Walmart, Kroger, etc). Start saving your change in it (whether it is pennies or silver) just do it! Every time change is accumulated, put it in the jug and watch it grow!

5.) Shopping for food does not have to be hard. Make a shopping list and stick to it. You can even earn cash back on brands you love without sacrificing taste.  Checkout 51 can help! Clip coupons from your favorite stores and use them! Plan your meals for each week so it will keep your spending on track.

6.) PURGE! This means clothes, household items and those things you no longer use or want. Take those things and have a yard sale or sell on Craigslist or Ebay. Use the proceeds towards your debt and saving. 

7.) Make a list of 'my whys' for wanting financial freedom. It could be to have generational wealthy or to travel without limits. The list is for you and must resonate within you. Post it where you can see it daily.

8.) Affirmations are a good way to be on track. They must be present tense and spoken three times a day. Here are some I use:

"I am now financially free. I now live in abundance."

"I am open to receive wealth in many ways."

"My income is constantly increasing. I prosper wherever I turn.'

9.) Forgive yourself for the debts and unwise spending, it is the past and it is up to you to heal it. Use these steps daily, not sometimes and know that you will succeed. Never mind what your 'friends' say, are they out of debt? Only speak with those who are winning because you are done with losing.

For more information, go to Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps.

Be frugal and proud!

Dot

FRUGAL TIPS FOR TODAY

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Here are four frugal living tips courtesy of The Wallet Moth that you can use in your journey of frugality:

1. Use Up Your Leftovers

Christmas is undoubtedly one time of year where leftovers are aplenty, and many of us can be guilty of throwing some of those goods away rather than using them all up in time.

If you find yourself throwing away a lot of uneaten food, make using up your leftovers a habit to start this year. A few great ways to ensure you always have the correct amounts of food to eat each week include:

• Plan out your food shops
• Buy a durable set of tuppaware to store your leftovers safely
• Portion out extras and store them in your fridge
• Make use of your freezer! If you have leftovers that won’t be eaten in time, package and label them and keep in the freezer for another week instead of throwing out.

2. Take Packed Lunches (and Breakfasts…and Dinners!)

Spending $5 a day on a tasty lunch might not feel like a big expense, but if you do that 5 times a day every week, you’re looking at spending upwards of $1,200 a year on food that could easily be made at home for far less money.

Cooking your own meals is not only cheaper, it can also be much healthier as you know exactly what is going into your meals.

Check out my post on 10 meal-prep meals perfect for packed lunches for some inspiration!

3. Avoid All Late Fees

Late fees are a totally avoidable expense, and that’s why this habit is so essential to start this year.

Set a reminder a few days before your bills are due to be paid, and make sure that you have budgeted enough to be able to pay these bills when they’re due.

A late fee of a few pounds each month might not seem like too much, but again, those fees really rack up if you take a look at the bigger picture over a year.

4.  A Tidy Home

A tidy home means a tidy mind, so staying on top of your cleaning around the home is a great way to keep the calm, minimal atmosphere you want to create for a more frugal lifestyle. 

You may be a natural neat freak, or you may be like me and need a little reminder each day to fold your clothes and not slam them into your wardrobe (heh, it’s not just me – right?!). Either way, I’ve really found that keeping my environment clean and tidy goes a long way to cleaning up the rest of my act – including my spending.

Simple things like keeping on top of the washing up, giving your room a tidy each day, and keeping floors and surfaces free of dust are all easy habits to build.

Got other tips? Please leave your comments below. Be frugal and proud!

Dot

FRUGAL AND WEIRD?

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There will be those who will not be supportive of your frugality. Some will think that you have temporarily lost your mind. They want you to go out and party, vacay to the islands and shop till you drop. You want to save, invest and live below your means as you build wealth. There will be those who want to borrow money and you say no. They can not believe it because you were always 'down' for helping out. You realize, no more of lending because it does not feel good. On the flip size, you stopped borrowing to pay things because you are tired of your money going out to payback. 

Your savings account was slim to none and now it is slowly building from monies your thought weren't enough to save from to monies you are glad to save. You still shop at the grocery store, consignment shops and more with change coming back because discounts and coupons are your friends. Every dime and dollar is accounted for because you have goals of building wealth and abundance with NO debt. Of course the naysayers say there is good debt (really?) and ask about your credit score being boosted. This does not concern you because you go for being debt free (no car notes, no credit cards and even paying off your mortgage). You enjoy being weird and those naysayers leave your life shaking their heads while telling other naysayers they know about your 'crazy life'.

Listen folks, as you change for the better, you will be called a number of things but broke won't be one of them. Keep your head up, persevere and do not give up. Be frugal and weird as well as proud.

Dot😌