Make Memories

We are getting into the swing of things with the Simplify & Save posts. I hope you are enjoying them. We all could use a little saving so I suggest that families begin by tracking all spending to see where all the money goes. Many times we are nickle and diming ourselves into debt.

Most people do not look at the full picture. You look at what you spend on your normal bills and living expenses but not the everyday spending.  I know I struggle to get James to see the full picture many times.

His day consists of stopping off at the gas station before the 20 minute drive to work. This differs day to day but it usually consists of one or more of the following… energy drink, juice, donut, breakfast muffin,  newspaper, and maybe even a candy bar for later. Through the day he may stop at another store for some soda or gum. I do not even want to know how much he spends on the soda machines in the stores he runs. He is a diet coke addict.

This is actually a pretty normal work day for a lot of people. Let’s really look at it as a whole though. Add it all up and it comes to a lot of money spent. It is even more if he buys a lunch instead of bringing leftovers. Have you ever really looked at the little spending. The few dollars here and there. It does really add up.

I challenge you to keep a journal of ALL spending for even as little as a week. I do mean ALL spending. The small purchases are often what puts us over the edge.

Let’s  say someone spends $10 a day on things they do not really need. Many people do and do not even realize it. After a month they have spent $300. That could be a lot of money to pay off bills. After a year that is $3,650. Think of what you could do with that money!

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