8 Weeks to Saving More! Really the End? (Week 8)

How are we already into the 8th week of this year?  Does that amaze any one else or just me?

Get out your tissues now.  This will be the final installment of 8 Weeks to Saving More.  I know, I'm emotional about it too.

I finish this blog series with the same picture I started with in Week 1 because there are two words on the illustration that are important to remember: START and FINISH.  We had a definite starting point (see Week 1 if you want to go back), but with a challenge like this, are you ever really finished?

You see, I happen to think this is really a beginning.  The end of our time together, but a start for managing your money in a way that brings your wildest dreams to fruition.  You can stop wishing for them and start paying for them.

If you've followed along on this journey and haven't made the strides you'd hoped, I'm here to encourage you.  There is a statement I tell myself often:

Progress trumps perfection Every Single Time.  You know why?  Because perfection is a myth.  You'll never have it.  You'll never have it all perfectly together with your money or anything else in life.  (And if you think you do, you'd better look behind your shoulder because there's probably a hot mess somewhere back there.)

Instead of asking you if you've followed along every step of the way with this savings challenge and completed all of the tasks, I'm going to ask you these questions:

Did you make progress with your money over the course of this challenge?

If so, in what way?  Are you staying on budget, using cash on a regular basis, or using coupons like a boss?  Be specific in thinking about and listing your successes with this challenge.

Review the two goals/ dreams you named in Week 1.  Are you any closer to realizing those things as a result of this challenge?

From this point forward, what will you do differently when it comes to your money?  What would you like to do differently?

I have enjoyed our time together throughout this challenge!  I hope it has helped you realize that there are ways to save all around you, if you're creative enough to search for them.

Week 8, Task 1: Ask yourself the questions above.  Be honest with yourself, but make sure to celebrate your progress!

Week 8, Task 2: If you'd like to beef up your progress even more, consider purchasing my book, 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save, which will give you a slew of ideas to help you save even more money.

You can always go back and review previous weeks of this challenge and work on them if you need to catch up.  Any time you leave a comment on the blog, I'll be sure to respond as soon as I see it.

Week 8, Task 3: If you've made any strides in funding your goals/ dreams, I'd love for you to share in the comments below and let me celebrate with you!

Congratulations!  You've just completed the 8 Weeks of Saving More Challenge!

8 Weeks of Saving More! Halfway Point (Week 5)

As I was getting ready to start writing this post, I was going to write "week 4" in the title, and then realized that we're actually already to week 5!  This challenge is flying!

Today is just what it says: the halfway point of our savings challenge.   Today will be all about measuring your progress by answering some questions (honestly, please!) about your savings habits since you've started the challenge.

Remind yourself of the goals you set at the beginning of this challenge (see week 1).   These were mine: 1. Save for the trips I'll be taking with my sister and 2. Save for LASIK eye procedure.

Here's an update on both of those:

1. I haven't done much in regard to the sister trips yet besides save my change from using cash and purchase some coin wrappers.  Last week, I got inspired so I culled all the change I've been saving and wrapped about $30 in coins.  Honestly, it didn't take me long to save that much.  And even though it's a small amount, if I did that three more times this year, I could easily have $120 from just my change alone.  That's a great starting point for some spending money that takes little effort on my part.  I just have to wrap the coins and exchange them for bills at the bank.  Easy peasy!
2. My goal to save for LASIK is a little more exciting.  I've been wearing my glasses all weekend because I have an appointment tomorrow morning to have my consultation and tests to see if I'm eligible for the procedure!  This is a BIG step for me!  If I learn I'm eligible, I will then get an estimate of what it will cost for me, and within a certain budget, I will hopefully be writing a check for the total!  Now, I did not save thousands of dollars during the last five weeks of this challenge.  I've been saving automatically for a while now.  But once I do pay cash for the procedure, I'll use the savings techniques I've written about to build up my savings account again so I can fund the next dream.  I have used my savings account over and over for the past ten years, and it is truly one of the biggest blessings to be able to dip into when I have a dream to fund.

Honestly, that's why I'm so passionate about having savings.  Savings gives you options for your life. Savings allows you to do things you could not do otherwise.  Savings allows you to fund your wildest, most far-fetched dreams.

Now, let's talk about you!  I want you to ask yourself the following questions:

• What are your two goals that you originally decided on?  Do you still feel like these are the most important goals you want to pursue with your savings right now?  Because, let's be honest. Sometimes, priorities change.  And if they do, that's ok!  It's just evidence that you're evolving as a person and figuring out what you really want out of life.  It's ok to change your mind. Permission granted!
• How are you doing with the savings challenge?  Have you been saving during the month of January?  Did any expenses come up that surprised you?  (If so, you have to read this post!)
• What can you do better in the last four weeks of the challenge?  Get creative with this.  I'm a visually motivated person.  Therefore, it helps me to track things using charts, graphs, and stickers!  When I see a page filled with stickers that represent me reaching my goals, it just makes me happy.  Find your happy, and then find a way to incorporate it into this challenge.

Week 5, Task 1: Take some time to honestly answer the questions above.  

Week 5, Task 2: I really want to hear from you this week!  In the comments below, tell me what your goals are and how you are doing with saving money so far in 2017.  Also, I'd love to hear any creative ideas you have for completing this challenge.  

Remember, you've still got a month left to save some serious money during this challenge.  What can you do TODAY?  You've got this!

Why You Will Save More in 2017 Than Before!

January 1st is less than a week away!  Can you believe it?  Has your bank account recovered from the holidays yet?

Some of you panicked when you read the title of this post.  You thought, "I'm so far into debt from Christmas, there's no way I'm going to be able to save any money next year!  I'll still be paying off my credit card at the end of the year!"  You can't think like that.  I love the beginning of the year because it gives us all the chance to start over.   You can effectively push an imaginary "reset" button on any area of your life that you wish.

So, why not make 2017 THE YEAR for your finances?

You didn't think I would suggest that without including a plan, right?

I do, in fact have a plan.  Actually, it's more of a challenge.  I'm going to take it, and I hope you will consider taking it too.

Let me give you some details:

2017 Savings Challenge!

• 8 week savings challenge kicks off on January 2nd.  
• Exclusive to this blog (meaning, you will only be able to access the posts and content here, although I will have links from my social media pages)
• 1-2 blog posts per week with a weekly challenge "task" for you to complete.  Part of the task will be sharing your progress in the comments section.
• Embarrassment-free!  I promise you will not be shamed in any way, shape, or form (shaming comments will be deleted!)  We're here to encourage and uplift each other, and therefore save a boatload of money in the process.
• Spenders and savers are welcome.  If you have a plan and a community of like-minded individuals, you are so much more likely to succeed with your money goals.
• This challenge is completely FREE!  I will be using material from my book 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save, so you are more than welcome to purchase that as your own resource, if you wish.

How do you join the 2017 Savings Challenge?  I'm so glad you asked!  It's easy. 1. Sign up for email updates from this blog (right-hand side of the page).  You will be sent a confirmation email and will receive a notification each time I post a new challenge.  2. Comment below saying, "I'm in!".  You can also introduce yourself in the comments section and leave any questions you might have about the challenge.  And that's it!  Pretty simple, right?

I promise, you WILL have fun, and eight weeks from now, your wallet will be fatter.  Are you ready to jump on this band wagon?  Let's go!

Happy Saving!

Kristin

How Saving Money has Enhanced My Life

Hello my fellow savers (and spenders too; we all have those times)!

It's been a while since I posted on this blog.  I'm sorry about that.  I don't have a good excuse for you other than to say that life has been incredibly busy, in a great way.

I enjoyed a great summer, spending time with my son who just turned three!  Wow, where is the time going?  We worked really hard on potty training, and although he still has his moments, I can say that we've definitely saved money on diapers since he's transitioned to using the potty.  Well, most of the time!

Here's my sweet boy at his 3rd birthday party in September!

I wanted to write a post on how building our family's emergency fund has enhanced my life.  And it has done so in a major way.

After much deliberation, my husband and I decided that I would not return to work as a teacher this school year.  That has been a decision years in the making, but we didn't feel that we were financially in a place to do that until now.  After releasing my savings book (check it out here), we were able to eliminate our household debt by paying off my car and student loan.  Then we started piling up any extra cash and were able to quickly establish our full 3-6 month emergency fund.  And that enabled us to make the decision for me to be a SAHM for this season!

It's been an emotional rollercoaster for me.  I've had days, especially in the beginning, where I was so sad to give up a job that I like a lot.  I mean, who wouldn't want to teach music to sweet little cherubs every day? Except when they're not so sweet!  But overall, I am really enjoying my life and time at home with my boy.  We've bonded more than ever before, and I know that's due to the extra time we get to spend together.  I don't believe I'll always be a SAHM, but in this season, I wouldn't wish for anything else.

Being able to quit my job and not worry so much about finances is only one huge benefit of our saving money.  Another perk is that I've been able to work on and fund some of my dreams.  Currently, I have two projects in the works, a novel releasing soon and a vocal warm-up program for singers, that I'll be using some of my stashed-away savings to fund the creation of.  Unfortunately, product creation takes money for all of the preliminary work that goes into it, but I made a plan to set aside some extra $$ so I could work on these.  Without that cash, both projects would still only be dreams on paper.  With it, they're coming together before my eyes!

Another benefit of our savings is being able to plan and take our version of a vacation.  I say our version because we use vacation time to visit my family who lives about 15 hours away.  Most of the time, our trips are for extended weekends, but this time, we've planned a trip that spans 8 days!  While we're visiting with family, Jamie and I get to travel 3 hours south for a business conference and have our own date weekend.  I can hardly wait!

Posing with my book.  Can you tell I'm proud?

I wrote today to give you an update on what's happening in my world and also to let you know that none of it would probably be happening were it not for the journey I went on with saving money and the book that came out of it.  8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save is that book and I would love to see it make a positive impact on your money too!  Check it out here.

What are some of the things you've been able to do with your savings?  Leave a comment below!

What's the dream?

My new book, 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save is about two things: 1. It's about saving money in unusual ways and having a little fun while doing so and 2. It's about dreams.

You see, everyone has a dream.  And, most everyones' dreams require money to achieve.  So that is the first thing I cover in my book: focusing on your dream.  If you can start to think about what your dream might look like, feel like, smell like and sound like when you achieve it, you are going to be easily motivated to work hard to get you to that place.

Today's post is going to challenge you to think.  What is your dream?  Now, don't start putting qualifiers on it like, "Well, I want this certain type of car, but it's too expensive," or "I want to eat healthy foods, but we don't live in an area where a lot of healthy food is available."  No, simply think about your dream, as if you can instantly achieve it.

Once you have your dream, I ask you to take 5 minutes at some point today and think about it.  Imagine yourself living your dream.  Describe your surroundings.  Who is living it with you?  How does living your dream make you feel inside?

If you actually complete this exercise, you will feel amazing after 5 minutes of thinking about your dream.  That's because it is already a part of you.  You just need a way to bring the mental picture to reality.

And this is where the 8 creative ways to save will help you start to work toward paying for your dream.  In cash.  And probably a lot faster than you imagined because you will be motivated as you see the numbers in your savings account grow.

So, spend some time dreaming today.  After all, dreaming is free!  And if you don't mind sharing, I would love to hear about your dream in the comments below or on my Facebook page.

Kristin

Ps. One of my current dreams is to get my new book into the hands of every person who wants to increase his or her savings!  In order to do that, I reduced the price of the eBook to just $3.99!  If you would rather have a paperback copy, you can get it for $9.99.  I hope you'll consider making this small investment in yourself.  Get 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save in either format here.

Some days I save, Some days I don't!

I wasn't planning on starting a blog about saving.  And then 5 different people (who know what they're talking about) said I should.

I released my 2nd self-published book today!  It is called 8 (Really Creative) Ways to Save and is all about saving money in order to fund your dreams and goals.  It is available on Amazon here.

Here I am, riding the wave of success that comes with publishing a book.  Ok, make that imaginary wave of success because life is pretty much the same as it was yesterday.  I had to go to the doctor for an on-going sinus infection.

I headed to the front desk after the appointment.  "Ok, Mrs. King, that will be $134.21."

I thought about asking her if there was a discount for people who just wrote books on saving money! Then I changed my mind and paid the bill.

The point of the matter is this: Some days I save money and some days I don't.  I guess I'll be reading my own book and working on some of the creative savings tips to make up for an expensive doctor's appointment!

Life happens and life is expensive.  Wouldn't you agree?