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Our two favorite words that make us feel deprived just looking at them.
Turn budgeting into a challenge. See how long you can go without spending money. Of course you will use electricity, gas, and water. Yet we can certainly use a measure of control over these areas also. It's fun to time yourself and see what you can do.
Unfortunately this is usually right before some emergency, and now the savings can apply to that. If you have listened to Dave Ramsey you may have heard him say that every dollar has a name, and that none of the dollars say "waste me."
The scales for dieting and a budget for our money are the tools that we need. We know that we need an emergency fund, but we also need a set-aside account where we can contribute monthly for big ticket items such as auto insurance. Birthdays and holidays are no surprise. I was teaching a class when one of the participants said that she had trouble with her emergency fund because something was always happening. The good news was that she didn't have to go for a high priced loan at a "cash store."
It is with excitement that we finish paying for a car. Our eyes gleam with what we can do with the extra money. What if you were to keep making those payments to your savings account for your next vehicle. Or if you notice just before your last payment, it is time to start thinking about maintenance and tires. What a relief to know that you have "stashed cash" for that.
As for dieting tips, they will come from Weight Watchers if you join.