My three month experiment -> conclusions - part I

Ok I have been 'trying' to budget for years now. I'd write down how much for each category I could afford to allot. I would plan and plan. I would diligently write down my purchases ...........for a few days. Maybe a week. Probably less. Then after time passed and I became frustrated again, I would start all over again.

"If you do the same things you've always done, you'll get what you've always got" - Mark Twain

For a fluffy white haired esoterical dude, he knew some stuff.

I read things on Dave Ramsey. I read Jean Chatsky's work. I skimmed Suze Orman though she wasn't my personal style. I dutifully watched episodes on Oprah on money and debt and followed faithfully the three couples she featured on Debt Diet.

I lived, and still do to some extent, the 'all the others have x, WHY not me?' I reached three conclusions:
1) some of them had husbands who made far more money than mine
2) some of them scrimped and saved for their things (though to be honest, precious few fit this one)
3) most of them must be up to their eyeballs in loans and debt to pay for the lifestyle they choose to live.

I started reading personal finance blogs 'about' a year ago. Not quite. It was more for entertainment reasons and I hadn't really found one which matched me. Then I stumbled across one, which is no longer active sadly, and something clicked. It started to resonate within me and things began to click.

Then last summer I allowed myself to get HGTV on satellite and I discovered the wonders of a show called "Til Debt Do Us Part".

I was hooked. I loved it. I've always been a 'tuck some in here, hide some in there' kinda gal. I always loved real money, how it felt, what it looked like, counting it etc. This woman was my guru. Now to be fair, I did not start her plan of money jars. It was more of a 'ohhh wow great idea! I love this show". Kinda like watching a show like The Biggest Loser while eating a bowl of icecream.

By November I was mulling. Big time. By early December I knew I was going to try, and try I did. On December 20th I made my first jar blog and off I went.

I won't say that I was a perfect success. I did slip up, but hey, if I learned from the slip up, then my bumps and bruises are not in vain. I chose my categories carefully and put what I felt was a realistic start value in them per week. Their numbers seem high compared to many folk out there, but they were lower than I usually spent with my debit/credit cards so I forged ahead.

• I learned that you need to be organized. Big time. You need to have your little jars and your little labels and have a spot to stash them.
• I learned you need to have a plan for what to do with weekly/monthly leftover money OR what to do when you are short and there are still days left.
• I learned that writing everything down, which is what I did before, did NOT work for me and that simply having X $ in the jar made me far far more successful.
• I learned to hate that bank machines only give out $20s and frankly, I wanted 5s and 10s too so off to the Brick and Mortar I had to go.
• I learned that people are shocked when you pay with cash. Almost like I'm paying for my gas with a sack of potatoes and a live chicken :-)
• I learned that I had to preplan where I was going to go and what money I would need for it as I traditionally carry my wallet with me but not $ from the jars.
• I learned my airmiles collections went down the toilet and I have to make some decisions about that.
• I learned it is possible to have a bank statement that takes up only 1 sheet of paper.
• I learned to count out how much I was spending as I put things in the cart, and that some things just would have to wait for another time.
• I found save.ca for great online coupons however the @$#@#$ site sold my addy to folks and now I'm getting spam up the wazoo on that email.
• I discovered the incredible addictiveness of snowflakes
• I learned I am a category person. Not too too many, but enough.
• I learned I get squat for interest at my one savings account and I need to fix that ASAP.
• I found jotting down how much I could put towards debt..........soothing.

During my time I had money left over each month. I paid off my credit cards. I finished my emergency fund. I finished my Christmas fund. I paid off my bank of mom loan. I started putting money down towards a new van downpayment and also to my personal loan as lump sum.

My biggest revelation is "Why the hell didn't I do this earlier in my life??????????" Lordy, what I could have done with money I frittered away. *deep sigh*

We shall see how this exploration goes. Three months in is indeed a honeymoon still.