How many times have you sat around listening to your friends tell you that they are going to quit doing something cold turkey? I am going to go out on a limb and say probably quite often. At some point, we have all probably been on a kick where we wanted to completely give up pop, cut carbs out of our diet or just stop spending over $2.00 on a small cup of coffee at Starbucks. While we can probably manage to hold out for a short amount of time it usually never lasts.
Let’s put this into more of a financial perspective. Given that it’s the first part of the year, a lot of us are looking to make changes to the way we spend money. We’re looking for areas in our budgets that we can cut out in order to either pay down debt or increase our savings. Some people like to take a drastic approach and completely cut things out in order to save money. Personally, I find that to be counter-productive.
Hypothetically, let’s say that I am trying to reduce my spending by not going out to dinner. I might be able to make it a month or two before I crack, but after that it is all over. I will probably want to go out every night for a week. I love eating out and trying new restaurants. It’s something that I enjoy, so why would I want to give it up. Instead, it should be a game of moderation. If you are the type of person who never cooks a meal at home, give it a shot. Do you need to stop going out to eat all together? Of course not. Just by cutting down the frequency means that you have made positive steps forward. By gradually making a change in your life, you are more likely to succeed in the long term.
In the end, we are all looking to improve ourselves each and every day. Some of us prefer to use a dramatic approach. However, I find the “slow and steady wins the race” approach to be most effective.
Now how about we give away $100 to one lucky reader. All you need to do is complete the entries below.
If you are a blogger and would like to be part of the next group giveaway you can click here for more information.
I agree with you. No spend days weeks or months only really get rid of the unnecessary or frivilous spending for that time frame but after it is over you may feel you deserve more treats than you would have otherwise received. The necessities just get delayed but are still spent. I see it as a timing game.
You’re right on (as usual!). The boom/bust cycle some people create with this is as dangerous to your wallet as that “starve yourself” diet is to your waistline.