It’s no surprise that with the New Year comes new visions and aspirations. As you know, I started writing out my goals for 2019 back in December. Now that Brandon and I are on the cusp of finishing our house, we are closing in on some dreams we’ve had since before we bought the house. Let’s be honest, these are mostly my dreams, but trust me, they are amazing and I can’t wait to accomplish them. Since these aspirations come with a price, we’ve decided to pursue a spending freeze until May.
Initially, my personal spending freeze was inspired in part by this video by Ingrid Nilsen called Why I (Almost Completely) Stopped Shopping. Ingrid is someone who I have been following for years on YouTube. Her inclusive, positive and pro-women platform draws me in week after week. When I watched her video about why she stopped shopping, it called for pause in my own life. So much so, that I had a mindset shift and reevaluated who I was following on Instagram. I began to un-follow accounts that were heavily influencing me in a negative way.
It wasn’t that I was following negative accounts, but who I was following was having a negative impact on me. I began observing how I felt and what actions I was taking when consuming certain content. A constant ‘swipe up’ was a huge indicator to me, telling me “You need more!” or “What you have in your closet/makeup bag is not enough!” Most of these accounts included large retailers. However, many accounts I followed were Instagram influencers whose main content was: “Buy this!” “Buy that!” and “You HAVE to have this in all 3 colors!” I started to feel like I was missing out, and what I already had wasn’t enough. In reality, I have way more than I’ll ever need.
Once I was more self aware of how these accounts were influencing me, it became much easier to make the final decision for a spending freeze. On top of that, Brandon and I have big plans for this spring! Even before we bought our house I’ve wanted to get a dog. We weren’t allowed to have pets in our apartment, and it wasn’t responsible for us to get a puppy during a full house renovation. Now that we are nearing the end of this 4+ year renovation, we are finally in a position to get a dog. On the first day of this year, we met with a breeder and made a deposit for a puppy!! I’m beyond excited. Stay tuned for more on that!
Another goal we’ve had when the house is done is to travel overseas again. One place I’ve been wanting to visit since 2010 is Japan. When I was in college, I shared an apartment with 4 girlfriends, one of whom is Japanese. Well my dear friend in Japan is getting married this spring and she invited us to attend the wedding. Brandon and I just booked our tickets and we are officially scheduled to go to Japan! Truth be told, I’m more excited to go to Japan than I am about finishing the house.
With the last of the house renovation creeping up, the cost of a pure bred dog and a trip to Japan, Brandon and I have some serious savings to do. And not to mention, we still have debt. Looking at our expenses, we averaged what we were spending per week on alcohol and eating out. Let me tell you, it’s quite a humbling experience to quantify exactly how much you spend on booze and going out to eat.
Brandon and I agreed that for the next 16 weeks (with one or two exceptions) we are not going out to eat or buying alcohol. That means, no Friday night sushi, no fast food, no going out for drinks at our favorite local bar, and no beer or wine at the grocery store. By sticking to this 16 week spending freeze, we are on track to save about $60-$70 per week which adds up to almost $1000! The only exception we will make is for Brandon’s birthday in February.
My hope in sharing this with you is if you are finding yourself in a similar situation, you are not alone. Are there people you follow online that are influencing you to spend money you don’t have? Is comparing yourself to strangers on the internet affecting your mental health? Here is your permission to make some changes.
