Maintaining Motivation : New Years and Beyond

Credit: Lazy Photo Dad

The start of a fresh new year fills everyone with energy. We make plans, set ambitious goals, and say we'll do better than last year. We'll go to the gym, we'll save more money, we'll spend more time with friends and family, and less time brainless on the couch watching reruns.

For the first couple of weeks, we stick to those goals. We're filled with fire, enthusiasm, and energy. The excitement of something new keeps us going. But as the weeks pass, and we return to work after the Christmas break, our fire burns out. It's easy to fall back into a rut, and our goals fall by the wayside.

Adult Goals: December 2018

2018 is done and dusted. The last six months of setting adult goals and trying to make better habits
was, well it was interesting.

The second half of December was a great recharge with Christmas holidays. I fell off the adulting goals bandwagon, but I kept my finances in line and I caught up on my sleep for the first time all year.

Merry Christmas to me! Lifting the budget

Once upon a time I decided I wanted to retire early just like Mr. Money Mustache. I was convinced I would get my spending down below $30k a year, and have hundreds of thousands saved by the time I ticked over 30.

I was sure I would be a DIY queen, and flip houses like Mr. 1500. I'd make amazing food like Mr Tako, and retire to the countryside like the Frugalwoods.

Alas, as I sit here at (almost) 28, it is clear that these things take longer than anticipated. If I want to kick my FIRE into overdrive, I should be cutting back costs so I can save and invest more.

Instead, my Christmas gift to myself is permission to spend more.

Afterpay (is not) for dummies

When I first saw Afterpay spring up, I thought it was the dumbest way to scam people into spending money they didnt have. With slogans like "Broke AF but strongly support treating yourself? Afterpay" this was clearly a stupid trap for stupid people. A highly effective trap, but a stupid one nonetheless.

If you don't have money to spare, you sure as heck shouldn't be 'treating yoself'. But then I got to thinking, if you already have the money, and already intend to spend it, is Afterpay any worse than a credit card? Time for a quick review.

Adult Goals: November 2018

After the financial whirlwind of October, it was nice to settle down to some more balanced spending in November. The sun came out and we caught a brief glimpse of summer before being hit with some yo-yo storms and heavy rains.

Thankfully the sun triggered a 'spring cleaning' reflex in me, and for a time I felt like a proper adult, kicking goals and cleaning dust.

Digging deeper for the junk food failure

For years I've been tracking my spending. It started in my first year of university over a decade ago when I wondered how I could make so much money and still have none left at the end of the week. Back in the day it was a simple notebook where I wrote down everything I spent, and totalled it up at the end of the week. Over the years it has grown bigger, more complex, and thanks to Google Sheets, easier to use. and yet somehow I still can't keep control of the 'miscellaneous' spending category.

Adult Goals: October2018

Ya'll... October was expensive. What just happened...