Day 197-Preparing for the September Financial Fast.

Day 197-Frugal Franny says that it is not easy to swim upstream! I’m thinking about my upcoming frugal fast in September and it makes me shiver and squirm.  When I go back to the $15 a day for spending…. what will happen is I will take $105 from our checking. Place the money divided $15 a piece into envelopes, and then I will make it work with that amount each day for 1 week at a time. I will top off the gas in my car at the beginning of September one time. Meaning I get a full tank to stretch for the duration of the month (4 weeks). I use up what we have in the cupboards, don’t travel where I go beyond my gas limitations, and will basically spend only $420 for the WHOLE month!

This isn’t for everyone. However, I would like to get completely OUT OF DEBT! Not owe a soul a thing! I’m not sure how long this will take….but it is a worthy effort. On top of this I would like to do this while having FUN! I like to be rewarded for my efforts J Don’t you? So I’ve decided that whatever extra that I have left at the end of the week goes into a “Have a Great Time on Me Fund.” Not a Savings, Not a Debt Payoff account. Just a Here’s your reward for making it through the week with a surplus! So what’s left after I’ve cooked from scratch, played Yatzee, Flew a kite, went water hiking, a bike ride, a mountain hike and watched free movies from the Blockbuster machine and library…..is mine for the gas tank to travel to stay over at free rooms eating discounted food anywhere I want to go, and this includes flying off somewhere if I can get that discounted too. J Now this is just for the surplus from the $105 in the envelopes. Through budgeting spending weekly in envelopes this leaves more in the checkbook for savings, and debt relief.....but if I do really well with the $105 the leftover is mine! 

I like sweepstakes! I like to enter at My Coke Rewards every day. If I didn’t enter the sweeps I would probably have enough points for a $100 gift card. If you drink coke products, including Dasani Water, you should definitely be adding your points for profits J These sorts of things keep one hopeful for free, in a sense you can get the thrill of playing a game, like the gamblers do …but for free! Not a penny spent, but just as fun…entering promotions to win! Have I ever won? Yes, Yes I have.  J I’ll save the list of winnings for another time.

So I know the amount of debt that I want to get out from under. Do You? Check it out…..be brave! Add it up… Then begin to utilize the envelopes. Save your change, and build your savings. The leftover from the envelopes is fair game in my world. It brings a certain sense of control…..if you spend it now, go nowhere later.  This isn’t necessary but voluntary. My freezers are full before the financial fast. We run a surplus every month. However, we are not debt free. I have a mortgage and student loans. This is self imposed, and a form of fun and challenge for me. I hope you are enjoying the journey to financial freedom as much as I am J