My Spending Hiatus...

The holiday months can often times send you into somewhat of a spending bender if you know what I mean… and what better antidote to your empty feeling pocket books than a No-Spend-Month (In my case I'm working on 3 consecutive months of this, within reason) Its not always easy being mindful and disciplined about the money I spend, so during this No-Spend-Month/s which is basically short for “No Spending Except For Basic Essentials” I will not be spending on anything non-essential. Non-essential meaning things like:

Clothes/accessories
Personal Training
Electronics
Lunches/Dinners out
Online Purchases (Guilt, Amazon)
iPhone apps, iTunes, lottery tickets and any other $1-$2 finds
Manis & Pedis
Starbucks & Pete's

 So for the next month while I’m shopping my very own closet to recreate “new” outfits and giving homemade gifts & cards or offering my services for those of you with upcoming birthdays I am hopeful that I may just find that keeping track of the amount of money I’m saving (toward a specific financial goal) is motivation enough to stick with this spending diet for more than just 30 days.

 I plan to give myself a budget of $100 per week and this money can only go towards essentials! By no means am I trying to deprive myself, but more so help myself reconnect with my $$ so I am able to learn to further value and appreciate every single dollar. I will only allow myself to dip into this $100 on designated spending days (which for now will be Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday) By creating designated spending days I will force myself to plan out my spending meaning I will have to know what I need to purchase and wait until a spending day to buy it. I am confident that this will eliminate cashing out for foolish items and actually having to wait for that chap stick/lip gloss I was trying to convince myself I needed on a Monday night, come Wednesday (a spending day) I most likely will have forgotten all about it. I plan is to allot my $100 budget towards the following: 

Groceries & eating out (occasion based)

Gas
Household items (paper towels, tp, light bulbs, toothpaste etc.)
Entertainment (like I said not trying to deprive myself)

There are a ton of 30 day no spend month challenges all over the blogsphere so looking to google and my fellow bloggers for tips and/or inspiration won’t be a prob and should you also get a wild hair I would like to suggest the following:

half dozen daily

growing slower
bankrate.com

And with food in my fridge, gas in my car and my bills and rent paid for the month thus far let the spending hiatus begin…
 

Intent... Play for Keeps in 2013!

 Just 7 days into the New Year and Im sure a lot of you have your New Years Resolution/s on the mind… And with all of these resolutions and goals flying around me lately, I stand by the idea that we don’t need a special day whether it’s a Monday or a New Year to make changes in our lives… I'm sure change has been on your mind as much as mine over the past week and Im confident that 2013 is promising... bringing a brand new year and a clean slate. Good news is we can use the marker of the New Year to provide us with a measurable time frame for progress which can be very empowering. What we are able to effectively measure we can positively change! I want this New Year to be different from any other year and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it will be!

How do I want to make this year different you may ask… Well, change is a tough thing, but a good thing nonetheless. In order for this year to be different than any before, SOMETHING(s) have to CHANGE, so without creating some list comprised of two scoops of obsessive and eager enthusiasm sprinkled with a bit of unrealistic expectations all with a cherry on top I will instead create one that is perfectly in line with ideals I feel I already adhere by… and then choose one little word to invite into my life which will remind me to play for keeps in 2013!

My word for 2013: Intent

Intent/ aim, meaning, determined, committed   

I will live with it. I will invite it into my life. I will let it speak to me. And I plan to follow where it leads me. The possibilities are endless.

Resolutions 2013: Intent
Be Strong: work out 3-5 mornings a week without question.
Be Healthy: become a connoisseur of quick and healthy meals. Remember to eat healthy snacks between meals. take a vitamin/s h2O
Be Smart: embrace new opportunities. They help you grow.
Be Happy: remember to be grateful, treasure the small things.

Be Wise: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
Be Motivated: shower and get dressed, i know... sounds simple but stuff actually gets done when you do.
Be Organized: just do it