Ah, a shiny new blog. It's a bit like a fresh clean piece of paper, a new notebook, or sketch pad. The possibilities are truly endless. They stretch before me and quite frankly, begin to dwarf my thoughts. If I continue to think of this as my very first post, I shall begin to over analyze the whole damn thing. So, let me dive in without sticking my toe in the water.
Months ago, I had endeavored to take my beloved boys (my husband-DH & my son-DS) to Walt Disney World in September. It was months earlier than we had planned to take our next trip. In fact, it was this week in January that I had originally planned a visit to the Big Cheese. Alas, DS was to turn 3 in September and this is the magical age that Disney begins to charge admission. When their free dining offer came out, I figured the numbers and realized that with the free food and free son, I would easily save over $600! I then booked us the September trip and we completed it just days before the magical 3rd birthday.
But, how to pay for it six months before my budget would truly allow for it? It was going to be tight, but I could, indeed, pull it off. I began to dig through the gray matter and was spending a lot of time on the Disboards Budget Forum. In August, I issued myself a personal challenge to reduce the amount of money I was spending and to go on a strict budget. I posted the thread No Buy August looking for support. I will never forget one of the first reactions I received. A poster replied that it sounded like a crash diet and while I may not remember the exact words, but it portended doom.
Doom, indeed! I was rescued by several believers who have been the cornerstone in my self-control. My lifestyle has truly changed. It is now very rare that I spend even a penny without spending it on paper, er, spreadsheet first. We are almost through with our No Buy January thread and it has been a major success! I have resolved myself to stick with it through all of 2008, but honestly, I feel as if I have truly changed my relationship with money for the rest of my life.
But what exactly am I doing with the No Buy thing? Next post, baby.
Overheard in the bookstore:
"Mommy, mommy, look! I took all the animals off the shelf."
"You sure did, baby! Now, let's go home."
Current reading:
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason.
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