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!

8 Ways to Live Like a Rich Person TODAY

Have you ever wished that for even a day, for 24 hours, you could live like a rich person?

I know I'm not the only one!

Well just in case, you'd like to try to live one day in the shoes of the rich, here are 8 ways to live like a rich person TODAY.

1.  Declare today a "worry-free" day when it comes to your money.  Many of us have days when we look at the bills and don't know how they are going to get paid.  We certainly don't have any wiggle-room in our budgets.  But rich people don't worry about where the money will come from to cover their bills.  Since we are living like rich people, I hereby declare that just for today, we have a free pass to not worry about money.  Tomorrow if we need it, we can brainstorm as many ways as possible to creatively earn and save money.  But for today, there are no worries!  We have more than enough.  One of the questions I ask myself when I'm having a "worry" day is, "Will I go bankrupt today or tomorrow?"  If the answer is "no", as it always is for me, I count my blessings and stop worrying about money.  It's just not worth it!

2.  Go on a mini-vacation, right in your own town.  So what if you don't have the funds to go on some exotic vacation to the Caribbean.  Start appreciating the beauty your own town or city has to offer.  On a sheet of paper, write down all the places in your town you'd love to visit.  They can be places you've been to before or places you've yet to see.  Put together your perfect day of visiting all of these places or as many of them as you can.  Be sure to include some freebies like the park, the lake or beach.  I know you've got loads of ideas going through your head right now.  Get them out of your head and onto the paper.  Now, commence your staycation!  You're about to find out just how much fun staying around town can be!  If you need some ideas to jumpstart your staycation, just visit sites like Groupon or LivingSocial and plug in your town/ area.

3.  Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses; you are the Joneses!  We've all heard it again and again that we must avoid the comparison trap.  There is always someone who will be better off than you.  But it's just as true that there will always be someone who is worse off than you too.  In order to get your mind off the comparison trap, here's a little challenge for you:  find someone who is struggling financially and bless them in some small way.  It could be as simple as getting them a $10 gift card to a restaurant or grocery store or as easy as cooking up two suppers and delivering one to their family in addition to having one for yours.  Why do I recommend this?  It's a proven fact that rich people are generous in their giving to others.  Also, once you do this, I guarantee, you are going to feel like a million bucks!  What can you do to make a small difference today?  Because it's not going to be small in the eyes of the person who receives it!

4.  Don't spend any more than you make that day!  Rich people got this way by living on less than they earn.  I know it sounds too simple, almost too good to be true.  But think about it:  what if every month you had a little money left over and this went on for years.  Maybe you invest some of it and it starts making money.  Pretty soon, that little leftover money turns into a big fortune.  So, the challenge with this tip is to practice what it feels like to live on less than you earn.  Whatever you earn on this day (you might have to do some estimates, averages) is what you can spend on this day.  Bonus points if you can spend less than you bring home on this day.

5.  Drive your paid-off car (even if it's a clunker) with pride.  One of the most consistent findings of rich people is that many of them drive average, pre-owned vehicles and live in middle-class neighborhoods.  Now that may not be true for all of them, but for many millionaires, this is their reality.  And it's not because they couldn't have more if they wanted to.  They choose to live this way. If you have a car sitting in your driveway or garage that is paid for, count your blessings!  No matter what it looks like or how old it is, if it gets you here and there, it is a good car.  So what if people make fun of you.  More than likely "those people" are the same ones who go home and write a giant check for their car loan every month.  It's ok to not have a car payment because you made a different choice.  Go ahead, flaunt that clunker!

6.  Appreciate the true "riches" in your life.  You know where I'm going with this one, don't you?  Hopefully you've learned by now that the best riches in life aren't things.  Think of it this way...what if you had all the things (gadgets, cars, electronics, etc.) you desired in the world, but you were the only person in the world?  People make life rich.  Yeah, even those crazy people in your life that you call family.  And the scary part is, none of us know when we will live our last day.  So, if you have anyone meaningful in your life, and I'm willing to bet you do, spend time today appreciating them and all they do to make your life truly rich.

7.  Make your dream dinner...at home.  This one pairs nicely with number 2, going on a mini vacation in your town.  After you have a wonderful day vacationing around town, come home and have a decadent dinner of your dreams.  Maybe that's steak and potatoes, along with a salad and some bread.  Or maybe it's pizza.  If you're anything like me, dinner includes a chocolate dessert!  Whatever floats your boat will be a whole lot more affordable and probably delicious if you make it at home.  Spend time in your kitchen with your true riches that we talked about in number 6 and you're sure to have a satisfying finish to your rich-living day.

8.  Get what you want and want what you get.  To say that you are truly rich, regardless of your bank account is to be content with your life.  That doesn't mean you're going to settle and always be at this current level for the rest of your days, but it does mean that you accept your life as it is right now and you find ways to see the beauty in it every day.

Lao Tzu said, "Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

After reading this post and hopefully spending a day living like a rich person, I have one question to ask.  Are you rich?

You decide.