Spending Triggers

Do you use money at a stress reliever?
Do you cave to the pressure or obligations put on you by family or friends with vacations or gifts?
Do you, your spouse or children throw a fit sometimes because you want it now?
Do certain times of year cause you to spend more?

All of these situations can be triggers for spending money you either don't have or haven't planned for.  These are all really difficult things to overcome.  We all fall prey to them at times so balance is key.  If we allow ourselves to justify them, then little by little we can find ourselves far away from where we thought we would be. So here are some things I want you to put in place to prevent giving in to these triggers.

1~ If you use credit cards, STOP IT! Lock them up, delete them from your online shopping sites or cut them up if you have to. All too often they become a crutch to fall back on when you're really stressed and in the heat of the moment need to go shopping. Find a new way of coping with your stress, exercise, talk to a friend, read a book.  Trying to heal matters of the heart with money never works and just causes more pain in the long run.

2~ Stop abusing your debit card. If you don't use credit cards you might abuse your debit card by telling yourself that you'll just transfer money from savings to cover it.  This will constantly cause you to lose the traction you're trying to gain.  Cash, on the other hand, causes you to pause before buying something and once it's gone, it's gone.  You just have to be careful not to go by the ATM for more or you'll be right back where you started.

3~ Talk with your family or friends. Share your goals with them. Tell them you can't do certain things as often with them anymore because you are choosing to use the money to accomplish your goals.  This isn't very pleasant at times but by and large most people understand.

4~ Be realistic in your budgeting for vacations, activities and other discretionary spending.  Let's face it, Summer is a very demanding time of year for our budgets.  Next to Christmas it probably does the most damage.  A counselor friend of mine recommended having an emergency fund for your vacation to catch any unplanned things like car repairs, higher gas prices than anticipated and splurges on food and gifts.  Bottom line- things always end up costing more than you think, so plan for it.

Making these changes requires you to get back in the driver's seat with your money again.  No more autopilot, ostrich head in the sand, or plug your ears and sing mentality.  If you want change to happen then you can't keep doing the same old things.  Above all, be honest with yourself!  This is probably the most important because if you truly are, then everything else will fall into place.

My Expanded Thoughts on Progress

Yesterday I came across a C.S. Lewis quote that struck a chord with me. "Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man." While this quote is from his book Mere Christianity and is referencing a more spiritual note, I found it also to apply to the world of personal finance. I could not stop thinking about it and had to expand my thoughts on the subject.

Do you ever feel like you're stuck spinning your wheels in the mud when it comes to your finances? I know I have many a time. Especially lately as my husband and I have been trying to rebuild our emergency savings from the substantial hit it took earlier this year. While I know we are on the 'right road' because we have been making progress towards our goal, it has ended up being a lot slower than originally anticipated. And that has caused frustration. I'm constantly reminding myself that there are no perfect months for a budget and that adjusting your expectations can be really hard sometimes.

There is a delicate balance between being flexible with your budget and completely blowing it. In the world we live in there are so many ways we can get pulled off the road that leads to our financial goals. Family, friends, children, neighbors, advertisers all have a tremendous pull on our budgets trying to lure us away from putting extra money into debt payments or savings. Those other roads are sometimes bigger and have bright neon flashing signs promising fun and happiness for all. At the end of the day when the money is spent, you're left with nothing but the figurative hangover wondering why you did that. We then can become discouraged and give up on our goal altogether. Instead of doing that I want you to stop and think about where you're at right now. Go back to the basics and start again. Even if it's not the beginning of the month. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Recognize your triggers for choosing that path. It's easy to tell yourself Yes rather than NO. But if you tell yourself 'no' or 'not right now' long enough it becomes easier. Getting and staying on the path that leads to your goals is a struggle. Changing direction is really hard to do but worth it when you actually see the progress you are making.

Quotations of the Month June/July

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."~John Wayne

"Difficulties mastered are opportunities won." ~Winston Churchill

"Those who cannot change their minds, cannot change anything."~George Bernard Shaw

"Most of us spend our lives as if we had another one in the bank."~Ben Irwin