Remember when I was saving so much money that I was doing these funds almost weekly? Those were the days. The money was practically leaping into my hands.
But with the holidays and babies coming, it seems like the money is leaping the other way. While I decided what I wanted to save for next (family trip? Girls trip? Solo trio?), the plan was to put everything in my fund towards the baby and Christmas, in that order.
And that’s still the plan! But to be honest, my saving game is moving a little slowly. It’s hard to get your Swagbucks time in everyday when you’re falling asleep every time you sit down. And because my game has been slower, my cashing out for gift cards has been slower. In fact, I only cashed out from one app in the month of October. I’ve been building up all my other accounts, at a snail’s pace, and have gotten most of them to a respectable cash out place. I’ll cash them all out on Sunday, Nov 18th, no matter what. This should gift me a nice nest egg of gift cards ready to be spent on Christmas boodle when I am back.
Back from where? Oh, delivering Baby Bee!
And then it will be back to zero. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little daunted by the fact that I’ll only have been saving for a few months before the balance once again hits rock bottom. Especially after saving for 16 months, it’s a jarring thing to look at the Fund sometimes and be like, “Is that it?? I once saved thousands! And now look at me. I could have been a contender.” Not to mention, during those 16 months, I was ALSO saving for birthdays, Christmas, Father’s Day, various and sundry events where we had to give other people gifts. Though, saving for the baby and Christmas kind of counts as two things at once.
Truthfully, with the baby mere days away, my brain is far from savings. And that’s okay. I know that for someone who writes for a Savings blog, I spend a lot of time saying it’s okay to have a break from savings…but it’s true! Saving, couponing, budgeting, those are all lifestyle choices. They become part of our everyday, and we spend a lot of time and energy tending to that. It is totally acceptable every now and again to take off your couponing hat and put on your having a baby hat. Or whatever hat it is that you need to wear. The important thing is to keep going, even if you’re going slowly.
The great news is, we have everything we need for the baby. We were so blessed by friends and family. We even got a ton of diapers. This was a big deal. I’ve never had so many diapers BEFORE the baby even gets here. I can honestly say, this is the first time I feel over prepared for a baby. Family, friends from work, friends from church, Kristin Cooper and her amazing team, all showered Baby Bee with love and diaper cream. Between that and the gift cards that will roll in starting Sunday, that leaves nothing for me to worry about except having a baby…and surfing those cyber Monday deals from the comfort of my couch, with a little babe in my arms. Savings will be there when I’m ready to get back to it.
Total Deposit: $130
$40, from October Free Gym Membership
$40, from November Free Gym Membership
$50, Paypal Deposit from Swagbucks
Current Total: $195.38
I’ll be back with fund reports, more grocery trips, and maybe even a Christmas clearance post or two (not to mention a bouncing babe!) in December.
Have you ever taken a break from savings? Did it re-energize you when you came back? What were the steps you took to get yourself back in saving mode? Tell me all about it in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!