I Save…

I save a lot of things… I’m no hoarder, but I find value in the things that spark a memory of a good day or event or whatever… I have old emails from past relationships, notes from the relationships worth remembering, dried flowers that were given on special occasions, ticket stubs, etc.  I have boxes of memories tucked away to be ready to retrieve when I need a pick me up or I’m feeling nostalgic.

I save so many things but what I’ve come to the conclusion of is… I suck when it comes to saving money.  Oh sure my memory bank and heart are filled to the brim, but my bank account?  Not so much.

One of the goals I’ve set for this year was to improve on my discipline when it comes to money.  I’d like to not freak out completely when the shit hits the fan and I need major car repairs or medical bills arrive or well, all the legal crap I’m paying for {worth. every. dime} and sleep is good so sleepless nights where I wonder why I have more month than paycheck are something I’m focused on trying to avoid.

And OMG that takes effort… but then I remind myself that (a) I’m worth it and (b) how the hell am I gonna teach my kids financial responsibility if I don’t have a clue.

To be fair – my parents have preached the importance of saving for as long as I can remember… this is not their shortcoming for teaching me the ways of the almighty dollar but rather mine for not putting their wisdom into action. Until now.

I’ve been following along with Jenny Decki and her posts about how she is managing her families finances.  Following along and being inspired.  {If you don’t already know Decki, you should… she’s awesome but I digress.}

I know that step one to being a grown up and managing your finances is to have a budget… I know the bills I have to pay each month and track those, but the nickle and dime spending and retail therapy?  meh… 

But then I discovered You Need a Budget {YNAB for short} and started to explore it a bit.  {And now seems like a really good time to point out that this is NOT a sponsored post.}

We want to change the way you think about money.  Dive in online, sign up for an email course, or register for a live webinar.  However you choose to learn, it all starts with The Rules. 

First of all, YNAB isn’t just a budget… Although that part is really functional and I’ll get to that in a bit.  YNAB offers multiple resources to challenge and change the way you think about money.  They offer free webinars and classes to share insights that claim to help you break the paycheck to paycheck cycle and learn to save for a rainy day with simple steps.  Free.  Even if you don’t purchase their software.  They also offer a free 34 day trial of their fully functional software so you can see for yourself if this is a solution for you.

Budgets aren’t sexy but they ARE important.  My mom still to this day has her budget and spending tracked on paper with a pen.  And that works for her.  And… I’ve tried that.  It didn’t work for me.  I’ve tried simple excel spreadsheets and Quicken… and a few things in between and that didn’t work for me either.  And I think I discovered the reason… I don’t go back and do anything.  If I don’t do something NOW – while I’m thinking about it – it’s not likely to get done.

That’s one of the things I really like about YNAB.  You set up your accounts and budget {which at the moment are pretty arbitrary numbers for me if I’m being honest} on your computer and download the app for your smartphone {Available on iOS, Android or Kindle Fire through Amazon}.  The computer and app sync via Dropbox so you always have your budget and check register handy because come on – I’m NEVER without my phone.  When you record your transactions, it adds them to your check register and your budget all at once so not only can you see what your account balance is, you can also see how much is left in your budget for the month.

In one of the emails I received, they talk about the benefits of writing down your spending.

There is a psychological advantage in writing things down. It keeps you closer to your money. This is a good thing. As you write down EVERYTHING you spend, you’ll notice your spending decline. Not because you’re “cutting back”, but because you’re more aware of your money doing things you value.

Ok so whether we are talking about “dieting” or money, when we hold ourselves accountable by writing shit down, it pays off and the results show. It’s when we start making exceptions to that rule that we lose track. A handful of m&ms here… Twenty bucks on the Starbucks card there… It adds up when we aren’t looking.  After all, it’s pretty hard to cut back when you don’t know where you are overindulging in the first place.

The other thing I know about me is that when I look at my money and spending, I have to make choices… Do I REALLY need ANOTHER pair of shoes if it’s going to use the entire clothing allotment for the month?  The answer is still likely yes, but at least I’m making a decision based on information instead of emotion.

So that’s what I’m working on.  Learning to save.  And, I’ll likely be posting along the way {although not as granular as Decki} to share new insights along the way.  And maybe when I get really good at this saving thing, I can share valuable lessons on financial responsibility with my kids… who will also likely ignore me until they are much older.

Lastly, if you too need a budget, and want to check out YNAB, the links in this post will save you $6.00 on the purchase of the software.  You can still try it for free for 34 days {such a random number} with a full feature version of their software.  You can check out their classes for free if you want to just do it yourself.  And the app is also free {but does require the desktop version of the software to work}.

** Disclaimer – links in this post are affiliate links which means when you save, I earn a few bucks.  You don’t have to purchase through these links, but it will save you money on the software.  This is STILL not a sponsored post – I paid full price because I believe in the value of YNAB.**


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