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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