Hmmm. I've been so busy lately, I haven't even taken time to evaluate how much I've saved since I joined this site and started FOCUSING on saving.
I just looked over at my info, and realized between the "extra money" from the $20 challenge and the "grocery savings", I've saved over $10,000 since Jan. 1.
That doesn't include all the savings realized since October 1, when DH and I started this savings challenge.
This is one of those strange examples, where a financial crisis turns everything around for an even larger financial success.
We had just become complacent, not focused on spending, but completely ignoring our ability to save. Then an error at the bank, and we were living on no income and no access to savings for 6 months. So, back to our roots. Coupons, sales, STOP BUYING, STOP WASTING. A bit more thinking. We priced out Rx and saved $1K a month. We canceled magazines and memberships; ones we wanted to keep we canceled and found other ways to have them for free. We checked out rates, our insurance costs, our credit cards. Insulated the attic for free. Bought energy saver light bulbs for almost free. So many ways that money needlessly slips away while ones back is turned.
So, DH started adding it up. Besides the $10K saved in grocerys and the extra income trickling in, we've saved an extra...
$15K, in addition to the $10K. That's $25K that we normally would have spent, SAVED in six months! And, even though we knew many of the things to do before I joined the site, we weren't doing them!
Saving Advice really inspired us to think outside the box, reminded us of what we should have already been doing, and gave us new ideas. Everyone in the community has provided such friendly encouragement, good advice, and much appreciated support.
I might add, this savings was DESPITE having some major life crises, health issues, unforeseen expenses, and many barricades to "success".
I should be celebrating, but I still have mulch to lay...I want to claim that $4500 savings on Spring gardening!
If I can offer any encouragement, it's DON'T GIVE UP. I have been through a whirlwind. Emotional fire storms. I mean, how many times do you find out you have cancer, your dog has cancer, your father is not your father but BTW he is dying, your family abandons you, you have no income or access to savings...I haven't been through nearly as much as many of you. But hopefully it's been enough that you can see that you can have some financial successes, even in tough times.
$10K extra money?
June 1st, 2006 at 08:12 pm
12 Responses to “$10K extra money?”
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June 1st, 2006 at 08:22 pm 1149193320
June 1st, 2006 at 08:28 pm 1149193738
June 1st, 2006 at 09:54 pm 1149198888
Out of sheer curioisty - how much money have you spent on groceries, given how much you've saved?
June 1st, 2006 at 10:55 pm 1149202526
However, that does not include his luxury items, like gourmet coffee, and my occasional bath gels from Yves Rocher.
It also doesn't include the WASTE from last year, either...we purchased bulk Earthbound farms from Costco, ate fresh produce, and pitched everything at the end of the week, spending without thought, so to speak. We were SPENDING (embarrassed here) $500 A WEEK at Costco. DVDs, all that stuff. NOT SMART.
So, TMI, but I haven't tallied all the spending, and compared to what we were spending...but I will ! A project for tonight...
June 1st, 2006 at 11:22 pm 1149204160
Nicely done!!
June 2nd, 2006 at 03:59 am 1149220754
June 2nd, 2006 at 04:39 am 1149223157
I find it encouraging and some of your posts are the one's that I print out and read at night.
June 2nd, 2006 at 03:08 pm 1149260886
June 2nd, 2006 at 07:37 pm 1149277045
June 3rd, 2006 at 10:51 pm 1149375101
June 6th, 2006 at 11:03 pm 1149634995
October 20th, 2006 at 03:59 pm 1161359950
thanx