Before I started the Spending Fast, I had some pretty bad spending habits. I've mentioned it before, but I'll quickly recap. As soon as I would get paid, I would first pay my bills. As soon as the bills were paid, I would check my account balance. Immediately, everything that was leftover would have to be spent. All of it. The money practically burned a hole in my pocket and my mind raced with the goodies I could purchase.
Notice that nowhere in the above story did I mention paying 10% to my church or even taking care of Number 1. Being young, I am still fairly selfish, and it amazes me that I never ever paid myself! Sure, I had my savings account, and contributed to it, but it really acted as more of a back.up.checking.account.
Since I began the Spending Fast, as soon as I get paid, I first write my tithing check to my church for 10% of my pay. One hundred dollars is automatically deposited into my Emergency Savings account and I then pay my bills. Until the next pay period, I oogle at the amount of money left over, and the bigger it is, the more excited I get. I might spend a little on my necessities such as gas, or groceries, but overall, I just let it brew. At the end of the pay period, I transfer everything that's left in my checking account to my Money Market account (hopefully to be used on a down payment on a house).
Today, however, I am really feeling the urge to slip back into my old pattern of spending. I'm looking at my bank account, and while I know that money should be saved, or might even have to go to pay my Fall tuition, but my head is crawling with other things, sparkly things, I could buy instead. Things I don't need, but things I want: white skinny jeans, chiffon blouses, feminine skirts, pretty school supplies; you know? Stuff.
Stuff that I don't have room for. Stuff that won't make me happy, but will more likely create great feelings of guilt and buyer's remorse. Just stuff. I still have eight days until I make my MMA transfer for this pay period, and I'm beginning to worry that the urge is too strong. I need to find something to focus on, or maybe just make my transfer early, and leave myself completely broke for a week.
I look back on my blog posts so far, and up until now, the Spending Fast has been somewhat easy. Now, however, I feel the glitz of saving is wearing off and I'm starting to feel how hard this really is. It is hard. It sucks. But I know I can do it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment