Day Eleven- Manage Your Resources

Okay ladies. Time to take a good hard look at ourselves and what we really want and how we are going to achieve it. Visualize it. See it. Feel it. C'mon. Get a good solid view of it. Now I guarantee that at least some of your vision is going to require money. Whether it be a bigger house, or some redecorating, or just something simple, like a new wardrobe that makes you feel stylish and sexy and a gym membership, it is going to require money.

Some of you might be thinking, "Oh, I let my husband handle all of that." Okay, maybe he does handle paying the bills, but who does the grocery shopping? Who makes sure that the kids have clothes on their backs? Who has that soft spot and just can't resist getting them a treat while you are running errands? Or the pile of presents at Christmastime, no matter the cost? We do!! In essence, we control the family's finances. So what are we doing with them? Do we continually find that there is more month at the end of the money? Why?

Honestly, for me it required really studying how I spent money. For two weeks I want you to keep EVERY single receipt, EVERY TIME you make even the smallest purchase. Even if its just a soda, or a cup of coffee! At the end of two weeks, add up all that you spent on things that were not absolute essentials. Fast food, donuts, late fees, a small treat while you shop for necessities. These things add up! My husband buys at least one large soda every day. So for the month we pay $30+ on my husband's caffeine fix. And then we sometimes struggle to find enough for my son's asthma medication of the same price. But those little habits are hard to break.

What we need to do is take 30 seconds to ask ourselves three simple questions.
#1, Do I need this? This is very easy to confuse with wants. Our needs are items that are necessary for our health, our home, and other areas that we cannot thrive without. If it doesn't fall into one of these categories, it is not a need.
#2, Can I make it or use something I already have? Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without is my motto. Cut off the old sweatpants to use at the gym. Make a pizza at home, rather than buying one. Paint an old picture frame instead of buying a new one. Get creative with the resources you already have!
#3, Will this purchase help me reach my vision? Remember what we are working towards and take small steps toward reaching those goals. If you are redecorating, that gallon of paint is a justifiable purchase. If you are working on a new wardrobe and find a cute jacket on sale, absolutely go ahead and get it. But if you are working toward a new house, putting that toy back on the shelf will be a lot easier with the big picture in mind. If you want a big family vacation, then it is easier to pass on that pack of gum or candy bar at the checkout stand. Keeping the vision in mind in all that you do and buy will help you reach those goals so much faster! Plus, the less we buy, the less clutter we have to deal with later and the less impact we have on the environment (if you care about that sort of thing.) Not to mention the example that is to our kids! Doing without for now to have a brighter future is an excellent tool that the children of this generation desperately need!