Remember when we challenged you to stick to a savings plan back in early April? Basically, we asked everyone to start by saving $1 during week one, and each week, you add one more dollar to that. Have you been keeping up with it? I have, and I wanted to take a moment to share my story with you!
I haven’t always been the best with my money, and saving was never something I prioritized. I tried to change all of that after I graduated from college a few years ago. While I still struggle at times, I’ve come such a long way, and I’m so proud of myself! Blogging for BudgetSimple has only sharpened my skills, making me more budget-savvy than ever. Passing along tricks and tips for saving money and sticking to a budget has made me even more diligent about following my own advice, and I’m always on the hunt for more to share with you!
Now back to the Challenge… I’m about a quarter of the way through, and I’m happy to share that I’ve stuck with the plan EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. I’ve tried a few similar plans before, but lost interest after a week or two, but since I have a lot I’d like to accomplish over the next year (travel everywhere, buy a house, etc.), I was really motivated to follow through. It feels so great to see that number grow slowly over time without feeling like I’m devoting absolutely all of my money to savings (because everyone needs to have at least a little fun every once in a while).
So what am I planning to do with it when I’m done? Right now, I’m doing the Savings Challenge in addition to my regular monthly savings, which goes towards my emergency fund and anything fun I have planned for the near future. I had initially thought it might be a good idea to dedicate everything I save from the Challenge to anything home-related – things like decorations, furniture, paint, etc. The end of the Challenge will (hopefully) coincide with when we purchase our first house, and I know I’ll be anxious to turn it into a home. Of course if something of importance comes up, I’d be more than willing to put it to better use, but I figured this would give me a little more freedom to purchase a few fun items and stop me from going buck-wild with my credit card which I may or may not have done when we furnished our apartment.
Have you been following along with the Savings Challenge, too? We’d love to hear more about it! Let us know how you’ve been successful with saving so far.
