So, how is it already February? January just flew by so fast! So one month into the new year and I don't feel like I've gotten anywhere with my New Year's Resolutions. I am not posting as often on my blog. I am still struggling to make any headway with paying off debt. Every week I have had ambitious plans for our paychecks and every week after God's part and our bills we are left with pocket change. But we do have pocket change none the less!! I am trying to be positive and continue moving forward with the plan! God has blessed us with more than enough. I just have to learn how to use God's money in the way God would like.
But I am writing about my journey to be debt free. And that is something I wanted to do. I just want everyone to understand that the road to getting out of debt is never an easy one. We all grow accustom to what we have. And to pay off debt you have to stop spending so much money!! Which we all know is easier said than done!
But there are some small successes I have had:
- We have brought lunch to work almost every day in all of January. (This is huge for us. I'm getting better at planning ahead.)
- I am learning to buy more when its cheap to have for later. And make meals with things I have already.
- Through coupon freebies I have started a "donation box" that I will be splitting up to give to Crisis Pregnancy Center and Crisis Assistance Ministry. I just love freebies too much to pass them up. And even if I can't use them, someone else can!
- I am learning the ins and outs of this couponing thing! CVS has become my new favorite store! I love earning money with things you buy and using it to buy more stuff that earns you more money!! I know it sounds crazy, but if you want to learn more about CVS then go here and read this great guide from Collin over at Hip 2 Save. She has taught me everything! Walgreens has a similar program and you can read about it here, which is also from Collin.
- I have also learned to not be afraid or ashamed to use coupons to get things for free or next to nothing. In my journey to save money I have encountered many unpleasant cashiers who have tried to make me feel bad for using coupons to get stuff free. Even treat me as though I am doing something illegal. But I have learned that for every cashier like that, there is another who is amazed and wants to know how I do it. And that gives me an opportunity to help someone else to save money. And I love that!
So, I can't say that I haven't accomplished anything, right? Every success, no matter how small, should be recognized so you don't become completely overwhelmed and discouraged. When I started writing this post I was really feeling down on myself because I felt that we haven't really gotten anywhere in our plan, but now I realize that we started our plan to be debt free and we are making progress. The progress is slow but steady and you don't become debt free overnight! So I am learning two lessons. Patience and perseverance. So is anyone else trying to pay off debt and/or save this year? Let me know what your plans are and any advice!
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