We have been an entrepreneurial household for 13 years and during this time we have learned the hard way about having a “cushion” to fall back on.
We did two very cold winters where we were cracking open piggy banks in February and silently praying to make it through to spring when the thaw came and hubby could go back to business.
A few moments where you choose between milk or diapers, (diapers always win by the way) and you end up holding garage sales, not to get rid of “the stuff” but to actually put some coin in the bank.
But living hard knocks has its benefits. Understanding the value of a dollar, or even a penny on the bad days, allows you to appreciate every single one you earn.
Except now we tend to hoard our pennies, panicked and waiting for the day we will again need to choose between milk and power, and struggle to make ends meet. Worried that we won’t have enough for the things that tend to happen unexpectedly.
But, honestly, I think we need to chill a little bit. We don’t splurge a lot, and put our dollars into practical purchases. Hubby and I rarely spend on “fun” things, just for the “heck of it” things. . . and I am thinking that we should.
We haven’t been on a holiday together in over 4 years, and that was 4 days in hawaii with him in bed with the stomach flu for 3 of them. I am thinking it is time for us to escape reality again, even for a few days.
But to do that takes some planning. House sitter, kid sitter, chicken sitter, and extra savings so we aren’t pulling coin out of our “savings buffer” just to have a little adventure.
So we are taking the #CentsAbility challenge this month. We are going to cut back on a few things so we can justify spending a few extra dollars on … ourselves.
By recognizing what we are saving and budgeting for, I am hoping we will feel confident in spending it on a special moment, or even weekend. A recognized reward for the hubby and I, for all our hard work and saving. We want to change our budget to ditch some of the reactive purchases, and instead put those dollars towards things with more meaning.
Household by household our spending (and saving) habits vary. It doesn’t matter whether it is cutting back on a morning coffee, or eliminating weekday “liquor store” trips (ahem), small savings can make a big impact. So as we leap into the #CentsAbility 30 Day Challenge, we are going to focus on purchasing ONLY fresh and base products from our grocery store for a month, reducing our “grown up drink” purchasing and counting and saving every penny we earn from our farm stand.
At the end of the month, those dollars are going to be put toward an escape from the daily grind for me and my man. Something we both definitely deserve, and something a little more exceptional than the septic tank we already budgeted to replace.
So join me this month as I watch what I spend, and try to change my bad habits! And I encourage you to join the #CentsAblility challenge by sharing Instagram pics every day using the hashtag #CentsAbility starting October 1st .
Share what you are doing to change your spending habits and focus on taking back our paycheque and putting it towards things that add value to our life for the longterm!
Then join me and the other #CentsAbility Challengers for a Twitter party on Wednesday October 8th, 2014 at 9pm EST. We’ll be chatting about money saving tips, updates on how the challenge is going and money education with Manulife.
What can YOU change about the way you manage your money? And what kind of difference could it make in your life?