Save $1378 This Year

If you haven't heard of the 52 Week Money Challenge, get ready for your mind to be blown! The only way to save money is to make it a sustainable habit. And here's an easy way to do it.

The challenge is simple. Each week for the next year put one dollar more in savings than you did the week before. Since I'm assuming last week, you didn't put any money in savings, this week, put one dollar away. Next week, put two dollars away. On week three, put away three dollars. And continue all the way until week 52 when you will put $52 away. By the end of the year, you'll end up with almost $1400 saved. You can hold onto it, or spend it on whatever your little heart desires.The gradual increase is manageable and the most you'll ever be putting away in one week is $52...so the challenge is definitely doable. 

This printable version is the prettiest representation I've seen yet. I'm committing to the challenge and have put my chart up in my room next to a pictures of things I may want to spend the money on at year's end...a tropical vacation, a new pair of shoes, an Ipad to replace my 5 year old laptop. All three perhaps?

So what's stopping you from saving this year?

How I Resist Impulse Buying and Love It!

Temptation to impulse buy is everywhere in New York City. Just walking home from work I have to resist the urge to buy those cute boots on sale at Zara's or a sweet-smelling cupcake from the bakery on the corner or that quirky lamp at the flea market that would look perfect in my room. Sure, impulse buying makes you feel great in the moment, but those purchases add up and ultimately leave you feeling depleted and depressed. To curb my impulse spending, I devised a system.  Each week I budget myself:

• $35 for groceries. I gave myself a grocery budget because I realized a lot of my impulse buying was happening at the supermarket. (It's hard to resist Trader Joe's Cranberry Almond Dunkers, am I right?)
• $30 for spending money- this goes towards eating out with my friends, attending events, clothing, accessories- anything not essential

I keep a piece of paper in my purse and jot down my purchases as I make them for each category (pictured above).  Then at the end of the week, I add up my purchases and whatever amount is left over, I withdraw from the bank. I then put the cash into a box I keep in my room so I can use it in the future. I've been doing this for the past month and have already saved so much. Seeing the actual cash accruing is really rewarding. And it motivates me to save. For example, this week I decided to use up a lot of the food in my cupboards and freezer. I ended up only spending $4 on groceries for fresh produce! The other $31 went into my Dinobox (it's the cute little metal box I use to store the money for future use).  I'm planning on using what I save to buy a new camera (or maybe a smartphone!). I can also dip into it when I have a sporadic expense like a haircut or when I need to get my shoes re-soled. Having the extra cash gives me a lot of piece of mind.

What works for me may not work for you but it's worth a try.  Curbing impulse spending frees up some cash that you can use to buy things you really want. I'd love to hear how you all resist the everyday temptations in New York!