Last week I told you all that we would be eating from the pantry this entire month. I also told you that I would be telling you what I intend to do with the money saved! Are you ready...We are saving to buy a cow, well, another cow! You see, this past September we went in with 3 other families and purchased us some MAJOR meat. None of us had ever done this sort of thing before, but we (I think I can speak for all of us) have been pleasantly surprised on both the taste and quality. At first, I had such a hard time eating my cute little cow. I continually thought of his poor little life being cut short. Visions of him roaming the pastures constantly came to mind...then I ate a wonderful steak and eventually I got over it! (well, I guess I'm not totally over it)
When we decided to purchase this cow, we just bought it...there was no saving to it. It was kind of an impulse buy (that sounds weird, can a cow be an impulse buy?), but this year I want to save for it, or at least most of it. Even if you already have a savings, I think it is good stewardship to build the "extras" into your budget so you don't dip into your savings. So, this is what we are going to do...and I will be showing you how I plan to gather the money!
I am not trying to say, in any way, that you should save for a cow, too. I just want to show you some ways that you could save for things YOU want/need. I don't know...for you it may be to help pay off debt, save for a vacation, build an emergency savings fund, etc.
These are a few of the ways I plan to get there:
1. "Eating from the Pantry Challenge"
I plan to save a minimum of $60-80 (I am crossing my fingers for more) over the course of January. I will probably do this again in a few months if all goes well.
2. Save all change
Yes, we will be emptying our pockets in the change jar...it adds up fast. We already have some accumulated and instead of cashing it in, we decided to just add to it all year.
3. Cut back on groceries as much as possible throughout the year
At the end of the month I will put any left over money in the "cow fund" jar!
What are you saving for this year? What are your creative ways to get there?
Hit up the comment section and share with the world (um...at least the rest of us)!
