Money Saving Mom®

Guest post from Jamie of From His Presence:

Do you ever get discouraged when your journey seems slow?

If so, you’re not alone. I struggle with discouragement sometimes when my plans go haywire, or when I run into unexpected obstacles. However, I’ve found several things that really help me kick the blues to the curb.

If you’re struggling with maintaining your courage, these tips might help you too. Here are three sure-fire ways to encourage yourself, no matter how slow your journey:

1. Celebrate your process.

I am working on getting healthier. But when I look at my long-term goals, like reaching a certain body weight or eating a whole-foods diet, sometimes I feel overwhelmed. Those big goals can seem awfully far away.

If you’re the same way, try celebrating the process, not just the results. Instead of trying to lose two pounds this week, set a goal to just exercise three times. When you do, you’ll feel pumped each time you exercise because you’ve done something to reach your goal.

No matter what your goal is, the process — every workout, every dollar of debt paid off, every shelf organized — will get you there. If you celebrate each small step, it’s easier to stay on track.

2. Keep a year-at-a-glance progress calendar.

Last year, I began keeping a two-page, year-at-a-glance calendar in my planner. In the box for each month, I wrote down all the work I did throughout the month, whether my goals were completed or not.

Keeping this calendar made a huge difference for me all year long! When I felt like I wasn’t making any progress, I looked at that calendar and saw all the work I had done throughout the year. Even when my goals were still far away, it really encouraged me to see undeniable proof of my progress!

If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, keeping a progress calendar might help you too. When you feel blue, seeing that record of your work can inspire and motivate you again pretty quickly.

3. Allow yourself some easy wins.

If you only make big goals, you rob yourself of opportunities to get pumped up about your little wins.

I like to set small goals sometimes because I just need the inspiration that comes from achieving something — anything! 🙂 If my goal is small, then I know I can probably reach it. And when I do… you guessed it! I feel like a million bucks and want to do more!

So if you’re discouraged, why not allow yourself some small wins? For example:

• Go for a fifteen-minute walk.
• Spend ten minutes throwing away clutter.
• Clean just one portion of your kitchen counter if the whole thing is too overwhelming.

Anything you do will inspire you, and you’ll feel fantastic just because you made progress! An easy win can make all the difference.

Whether you’re working on organizing your house, getting healthy, building your savings account, or anything else, sometimes we encounter unexpected snags. In difficult times, however, keeping your courage up is half the battle.

How do you keep yourself encouraged?

Jamie Rohrbaugh is a writer, an encourager, and a lover of Mexican food. Her passion is to inspire and equip people to live powerful lives and to function in their gifts. She blogs at FromHisPresence.com about how to live ordinary life in God’s manifest presence.

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Guest post from Leah

As a longtime reader of MoneySavingMom.com, I have learned the importance of wisely budgeting to mitigate emergencies. In fact we know that using money wisely can turn an emergency to an inconvenience.

What I didn’t realize is that sticking to a budget also allows me to take advantage of unexpected opportunities.

Earlier this year, the opportunity arose to take a trip to Greece, with a longtime mentor. Now I’d never been out of North America before, let alone to Europe; but I’ve been trying to say “yes” to life’s opportunities. So I considered.

Unfortunately, it was $2,000 for a 10-day trip!

Gulp. Big decision. To make it worse, I had only about two days to decide.

This was not something to be considered lightly, but after some deliberation and counsel, the answer was clear – YES. I said yes to Greece!

It may seem like an impulsive decision to spend $2,000 with only two days to think about it, but honestly, this decision is the fruit of years worth of budgeted living.

I would have never been able to say “yes” to this trip if I hadn’t:

1. Worked my way through college, staying debt-free
2. Paid for a used car with cash instead of purchasing new
3. Shopped almost exclusively at thrift stores for clothes
4. Minimized eating out expenses
5. Used the library for all book / entertainment needs
6. Made the commitment to save reasonably and always live beneath my means

Now I did sell some items on Amazon.com, and I also dedicated some money from my tax return to offset the cost of the trip, but I know that if it hadn’t been for many years of faithful budgeting, this decision never would have been possible.

Seven cities and two countries later, and I caught the travel bug. I can’t wait to go back!

So when you cancel that subscription, or pass by that department store in favor of the thrift store, or choose to purchase your furniture from Craigslist, or check that book out of the library instead of purchasing it new, or when you say “no” once again to something that others consider necessary, just remember that it is for a purpose.

We choose to live intentionally so that we can not only handle life’s catastrophes, but also so that we can live a full life on our OWN terms, not just surviving, but thriving. Taking advantage of every opportunity!

What have you said “yes” to because of budgeted living?

Leah is the oldest of four girls, works in the restaurant development world with a degree in Business Management, and enjoys exploring intentional living. This includes meaningful relationships, CrossFit, long-distance running, good books, and maybe the occasional piece of dark chocolate.

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The following testimony is from Bethany:

Back in 2012, I shared how I saved $275 by digging out my tire receipt, to utilize the manufacturer’s warranty that had come with the tires, when they didn’t last as long as they should have. Today, I thought it was time to share how those manufacturer warranties (not extended or purchased) continue to help me save.

I had purchased a pair of dress shoes back in May of 2014, and as I walked into work 5 months after purchasing the shoes, I suddenly felt a bit unsteady. I lifted my foot and found the heel had started to separate from the shoe.

When I got home that night I sent an e-mail to the shoe company’s customer service group and they advised that I could ship the shoes back to them and they would send me a gift card for the current value of the shoe (I had lost my receipt). Within a couple weeks, I had a $40 gift card in my mail box to the store I had purchased the shoes from!

Worse than a broken heel though, is eggs stuck to my non-stick $52 & $108 sauté pans. I was so disappointed when my sauté pans stopped functioning as they should, and the coating on the $108 pan had started to chip.

We started to look at new pans one day, but then I remembered that these pans came with a lifetime guarantee. Again, a simple email to the customer service department, they validated my purchase (they were able to look it up by my name), I shipped the faulty pans back to them, and within a couple weeks I had a brand new product. $160 saved – thank you lifetime guarantee!

Finally just a month ago my husband purchased a new watch – but every time he put his hand in a wall (he’s an electrician) he would bump the side button and the watch would reset to EST – we are on CST. This was extremely frustrating for him, so he went and bought a different one. However, I remembered that the store we purchased the watch from had a 60-day satisfaction guarantee – and he wasn’t satisfied so I returned it and they accepted it with no issue. This ended up saving us about $35!

Often times, when a product isn’t working anymore, we tend to simply toss it in a junk drawer or throw it out – but I encourage you to think twice before tossing that broken item.

Consider taking a few minutes to write the manufacturer or look up the return policy for where you bought the item. Even if you don’t have the receipt they may give you an in-store credit.

Companies only know a product isn’t working if consumers tell them. I believe that companies who back their product with a lifetime guarantee truly expect their product to last and would want to correct the issue if it hadn’t lasted.