Money Saving Mama

If you were to ask my husband who runs our house, he would probably say me. It's true. I keep it clean, our family fed, pay the bills, wipe a little boy's nose, feed the cat, check the mail, and pack everyone's lunches. One time he even called me Super Woman.

But I am terrible at saving money. I know a lot about how to do it, I just don't do it. So in 2015 I am committed to saving money and creating a better future for our family. My first step to reach this goal was to divorce Starbucks.

The next is my Money Saver jar. I got the idea from an inter-web friend. She is following this calendar.

I ran downstairs and said, "Honey! I need to do this!" He laughed (knowing how I lack self-discipline) but said, "Okay. Start tomorrow. and PS you can afford more than that."

I thought, "Can I?" Perplexed, I peered into my bank account and saw my incredulous frivilous spending and, indeed, I can afford to put away more.

I have committed to $40 per week, so $80 per paycheck. At Week 41 of 2015 (Oct. 5, 2015) I will up it to $60 per week. This will have saved me $2320 by December 31, 2015. Can I do it?

I made this jar in hopes that seeing cash pile up each week will encourage me and motivate me. The trick is to not take the money out of the jar. Mike suggested a wine bottle because I would have to break it in order to get the money out, which is super smart, but I'm practicing self control. The first time I take money out of the jar, I will switch to the wine bottle.

Week 1 is DONE! $40 saved! 

My other efforts at saving money included:

-Unsubscribing from all retail-related e-mails. I do not need to know every time The Gap is having a 40% off sale (about 4 times per week) because that is an easy excuse for me to do online shopping, and Liam doesn't really need that sweater, anyway.

-Packing my lunch and getting a new water bottle for my desk at work. When I am lazy and don't pack a lunch, I spend roughly $11 on lunch, plus $1.99 on a 1L water bottle. $13 a day -- sometimes that's four times a week when I fail to meal plan.

-Using the Keurig in our break room at work. Before Liam I would drink a 14oz coffee on my way into work. Now I drink my breakfast (Shakeology) on my way in, so I religiously buy a "We Proudly Brew" Starbucks coffee for $2.11, five days a week from the cafeteria. Tomorrow I am going to Costco for a large box of K-Cups and will start using our Keurig at work. That should save a substantial amount...

If you want to take the challenge with me, comment here and I will add you to my online, money saving jar accountability group with other moms just like me, trying to get a hold of their finances!