No Spend Challenge

 Hello everyone!

I hope you're having a fabulous morning. I am caffeinated and ready to rock and roll. It is the last day of 2021. Thankful it is over. It's been an interesting year, some highs, some lows, mostly boring as we are still in pandemic mode over here. 

Anyways, let me tell you about a no-spend challenge. You pick a period of time where you do not spend money (I chose 3 months, but you can pick a no-spend day, week, or month). But the rules are up to you. It will help with impulse purchases and be an eye-opening experience. Since I already track my spending, I know approximately how much I will save. If you don't budget yet, you definitely need to track your spending to see where all your hard-earned money goes. My rules are as follows:

• Allowed to buy 

• Groceries & basic kitchen supplies
• Toiletries & cosmetics (when I run out)
• Cleaning products
• Stuff on the approved shopping list 

•  Approved shopping list 

• Clothes and shoes for Remy
• Work clothes and shoes (trust me, my sneakers for work are ruined quickly)
• Anything that must be replaced, but the original item must be thrown out
• Date nights and family days 

•  Not allowed to buy

• Take out or coffee that is not made from home
• Everyday clothing, shoes and accessories
• Electronics
• Notebooks (my heart)
• Books (whelp, I have a fascination of keeping my books that I read, but I will be making several trips to the library for my book a month)
• Organizational stuff and home decor (it is only 3 months, it is only 3 months) 

This is not going to be easy, but nothing that is worth it ever is. As mentioned, it is going to stop impulse purchases. In preparation for this challenge, I uninstalled those apps that are tempting to shop at (so long Indigo and Amazon) and unsubscribed from any shopping emails. 

Mark and I take turns on who pays for date nights. We have every other month to pay for. I start the year off in January, so I will have to pay for 2 date nights in the no spend challenge. But it is a priority for me to spend time with him, just us. The family days I have planned for February and March are less than $40 a month. As long as the world doesn't shut down again, I will be taking Remy tubing in February and indoor rock climbing for children under the age of 8 in March. He will have fun and it will be a memory to hang on to. 

Well guys, I am off to prepare our appetizer feast for the evening. Wishing you lots of health, wealth, and happiness in 2022. If you have any questions about the no spend challenge, feel free to leave a comment and I will reply.

Lots of love,

Mandee

2022 Goals

 Hey everyone!

If you remember from my first blog post, I said that my first goal is to save $1,000 by March 1st. I am going to do this by making an automatic transfer of $250 per paycheque (bi-weekly). So in 4 easy pays (and the no spend challenge), I will have $1,000. This $1,000 is going to be my emergency fund for the debt pay down journey. But while that is going on, I am saving for my true expenses (car repairs, my nursing license plus insurance, Christmas presents, back to school for Remy, Remy's birthday, etc).

I also decided to do a weekly savings challenge, which is $1 per week (week 1= $1, week 2= $2... week 52=$52). I made this automatic as well. This is to get me into the habit of saving. As a natural spender, it is hard to curb the tendency to spend. This is why I wanted to do a no-spend challenge to reset my spending habits, and the weekly savings challenge to get into the tendency to save.

Two more days until 2022! Let's crush it this year.

Lots of love,

Mandee

Goals

 A new year is approaching!

It is a bitter-sweet time for me. I get excited to start a fresh start, reflect on the year past. I tend to look at the year with optimism. A new year, new me so to speak. 

Well, let's get on with the goals. I am using Gretchin Rubin's 22 in 2022.

        1. Read a book a month

        2. Find a balance between work and life

        3. Get a will

        4. Cook a turkey- I feel like it is a passage into adulthood that I have not yet done

        5. Date nights and a fun family day once a month

        6. Meditate daily

        7. Stop procrastinating 

        8. Save money for true expenses- and leave it there

        9. Create a budget and stick to it

        10. Create bed-time routines

        11. Be more consistent with my skincare routine

        12. Quit smoking

        13. Be more mindful

        14. Develop and maintain self-control

        15. Better at time management

        16. Go to the gym 3 days a week

        17. Eat 3 meals a day- I skip either breakfast or lunch and it's a bad habit I need to break

        18. 3 month no spend challenge without going on a crazy spending spree afterward

        19. Pay off my credit card once and for all

        20. Stop being hard on myself

        21. Clean every day for 20 minutes aside from the usual tidying

        22. Drink at least 32 oz of water a day

Then I go deeper and ask myself:

What did I want to do?

    The above listed and improve my credit score, boxing lessons, learn French, find a side hustle, establish an emergency fund, 

What do I want to have?

    Positive self-talk, self-confidence, more motivation, a morning and night-time routine, more patience, boundaries, and more self-discipline.

Where do I want to go?

    That all depends on COVID

What do I want to become?

    A saver (natural spender), less lazy, a woman who does it all, more grateful and mindful.

What do I want to learn?

    More about myself, better at communicating, interior decorating, mediumship, being less defensive (I was in a lot of abusive relationships, and unlearning this has been hard), calligraphy, the reason behind my self-sabotage, a better listener, and emotional intelligence.

Who do I want to spend my time with?

    Friends, family, Remy, and my soon to be husband

How much do I want to earn/save/invest?

    I want to earn more than last year, save $1,000 to start my debt journey

What will I do to be healthy?

    Self-care, journal (and now blogging), hair and face masks, eat more fruits and vegetables, therapy, necessary doctor's appointments.

In 2022, in my family relationships, I want to eat dinner at the table. With my friends, I want a monthly date over zoom, in person, or on the phone.

For myself, I want to cultivate self-compassion, ask for help, do yoga, cook more, go through old files and pictures and delete unnecessary things, start a recipe book/meal plan, and identify triggers.

When it comes to finances, I will not add more debt, live on less, stop impulse purchases, automate my savings, cash only!!, and 1 money-saving challenge after my initial $1,000. 

Now, I realize not all of this is possible, but there are 365 days in the year and I have lots I want to do and a lot of things to accomplish.

Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness in 2022. 

Lots of love,

Mandee

    

 Hello everybody!

Well, I have decided to write a blog- mostly for accountability but to also introduce you into my world. I am 33, a mother of 1, a Registered Practical Nurse, Canadian and soon to be married (if COVID goes away that is). 

I am in debt, and this is going to be my journey on how I became debt-free, with tips, tricks, and my life in bits in pieces.

As you are all aware, we are in a global pandemic, which has caused financial ruin for some of you- myself included. 

I follow Dave Ramsey, Rachel Cruze, How to Money, Frugal Friends, Popcorn Finance, Her Money, YNAB (you need a budget)- the list goes on I believe, that is just from the top of my head. 

I made a lot of financial mistakes in my 20s, due to growing up in a household where there was not enough money to pay the bills. I remember my 16th Christmas present was money to go get my license, but we needed money for the heating bill. You might have guessed it, I gave the money back. I did eventually get my license, 3 years later. 

Looking back, it is easy to see why I made the decisions I did with my money. I got paid and I splurged, I treated myself. Why? Well because I did not have that security and the ability to do that growing up.

I went to school late in life because at 18 I had no clue what I wanted to do. It took years to figure it out. I wanted to go to school for nursing at 21, unfortunately, I had a significant other who did not believe in my dream as much as I did. Suffice to say, the relationship did not work out, but my dream got back burnered for crappy job to crappy job and crappy relationship to crappy relationship.

When I was 29, I met someone who would change the direction of my life. I found out I was pregnant!! That is when my path shifted completely. He died in a car accident in 2016, while I was pregnant. Yes, it was absolutely devestating- to this day the grief comes and goes. And I have nothing but gratitude for him because he gave me the best gifts of all. I have Remy (my 4 year old).

I went into nursing school when Remy was 1.5 years old, and also went into debt. I graduated with honours though. No easy feat but I had my wonderful fiancee to help me along the way. 

So now, 2 years after school I am sick of being in debt! This is not initially the life I had planned out, but I have learned 1 thing in life, plans never go according to plan- there is no such thing as perfect.

I want to get ruthless on this journey on slaying the debt dragon. So, here I am about to put my armour on and go slay this dragon.

Now that my fiancee has a stable job- he has been in and out of work since the pandemic, and living off my income was enough to pay bills but none for saving. I am ready. 2022 will be the year I meet this dragon and start swinging. 

First, the goal is to save $1,000. I want this goal accomplished by March 1, 2022. My next plan of attack is to save for my true expenses (Christmas, repairs- things that are going to happen, but who knows when). I plan to start this goal by moving my true expenses to automatic saving withdrawals from my account. I am starting 2022 on a 3 month spending freeze. 

Thank you for taking the time for my first ever blog post and I hope you will become an army while I tackle the debt dragon. 

Lots of love,

Mandee