I didn’t spend any money on Black Friday!
I didn’t spend any money on Black Friday!
Blasphemy!
She’s lying!
How did she do that?
These are all possible responses from you my devoted newsletter subscribers. Yep I did it. But honestly not entirely by choice. Let me tell you why and how it happened.
A year ago, my husband and I discussed creating a slush fund for Black Friday all by itself. We came to this line of thinking for many reasons. First of all, there are so many deals and we wanted to take advantage of them without putting a burden on our budget in 1 month on 1 day. We could get all of our Christmas shopping done in 1 weekend. We might actually have gifts under the tree before Dec. 23rd. The list of pros goes on and on. Not to mention the idea that both he and I could find deals for ourselves. It’s possible we’d save money, but it is also entirely possible that we’d spend more than necessary.
How many of you can relate to going Black Friday shopping and buying 1 Christmas gift for a loved one and 2 sweaters for yourself? It happens to all of us! During this season we simply buy more than is truly necessary just because the price is right. And what does that do to all of the other areas of our finances? It could wreak havoc especially without a plan!
Here’s the real reason I didn’t participate in the shopping madness… I simply cannot control myself! 😊 There I said it! If I walk into a store with a good deal, I will want to buy something. This year we had many unexpected and costly home improvements and repairs to make both to our personal residence and our rental home. These events drained our savings and our sanity. But we set a goal to replenish our savings to a respectable level and I didn’t want to jeopardize our efforts with overspending. Simple as that! I literally had to stay out of the stores and off the websites to control myself.
But what does it really take to be successful sticking to your financial goals? Here are the necessary ingredients for financial success…
FOCUS + DETERMINATION + BUDGET = FINANCIAL SUCCESS
If you don’t have a goal or a reason to say no to temptation you will give in. The goal or focus on a specific greater desire is the most important ingredient to financial success. But without determination you may not stick to this goal. It takes stamina or staying power to say no when you see others are indulging. And finally, a budget will show you where your priorities lie. Keeping your goal in the budget and sticking with the plan you have set is what gets you to the finish line of financial success however you define it.
I won’t say it was easy to keep my debit card in my pocket this past weekend but it sure was worth it. My savings account is still full and I’m proud of myself for exercising self-restraint.
Let’s be clear, we will be buying gifts this year, but it will be done with a detailed list of who we are buying for and how much we are spending without all of the pressure and temptation of buying extra things for myself... 😊
This is my 1st step in avoiding a holiday hangover this Christmas season. If you’d like to learn more about how to walk into 2019 confident, prepared, and still have money in the bank then I’d like you to join me for a Facebook LIVE on Wed. Dec. 5th at 8pm EST. You will learn all of the tips and tricks to have an enjoyable holiday season without the guilt and worry over your money in the New Year. Just head over to my business page HERE and tune in Wed. 12/5 at 8pm EST. See you then!
