New Years Goal number 1

I have a list, farely long, of goals or areas I want to grow in, in 2009. So I thought a little at a time...I would share them.

The first one to share, that is on my mind today.... is to spend less money....especially on things I don't NEED to spend money on, and to spend wisely.

A lot falls under this bucket, including paying off any debt....

But today I am just focused on simple choices.

Example. I brought 'coffee' from home today (I use the quotes, because the instant, powdery, sweet, foo-foo stuff I drink may not be considered coffee by some folks...).

It costs around $4 a can and lasts about a month. So my normal latte $3.80 a day. SO that is $114 to $118 a month. And I do purchase it about everyday...but lets pretend, I only did it 80%, that is still $95 a month, vs $4.......saving $91 a month, $1092 in a year!.... (now that is still leaving 20% of my time I can get a latte! 73 days out of the year! So EVERY Saturday and Sunday...plus 21 other days....maybe vacations! How cool is that!!

I brought my lunch to work today.... free, left overs. vs $5 to 10 dollars eating out! That is $37 a week, or $1950 a year. .....

You get the picture. Sometimes it is not the really BIG things, but the smaller things...

My big challenge will be shopping. Both the "overshopping" when I am going to get the needed thing(s) and throw in all the impulse things too, and the I am bored and trying to feed my soul with stuff, type shopping. ugh.....

That will be harder. So I am carrying knitting with me...silly, but it is a soul-soother...and plan to just start clicking those needles, when I feel the shop craving... (means I need to have projects on hand for all that yarn in my basket, so I don't think I need to go buy MORE yarn.....)

But bigger than that, focus on God and His companionship and talk to him about my hole-in-the-heart, rather than stuffing it.

Budgets, impulse buying, saving, spending wisely....need vs want.. Play with my kids more, entertain me less.

So that is goal number one. I will let you know how it goes...as well as what some of my other goals are, from time to time.

Wish me luck, or better yet, pray for success.