Saving money is slow and boring, and spending it is exciting

[Delicateflower]

Blah.

Saving is boring. I want to buy stuff. I reeeeeeeeally want to. Waaaaaaaaaaa!

[/whine]

[Ruthiegirl]

Totally.

[beansmama]

I was just thinking about this....

We're almost debt free, which means it's nearly time to start saving our FFEF...then saving a TON of money to buy a house...omg it's going to take FOREVER and be boooooooooring! Blaaaaaah!

[MittensKittens]

Yes!

[AngelBee]

[SeekingJoy]

Blah. We are there. It is especially hard where there are lots of competing current needs and our savings goals get more abstract.

I am far from perfect, but these are things that help us when we get stuck and unmotivated:
* make a paper chain with each $100 a link toward your goal. When it is all undone, then you have met your goal.
* make a bar graph of your savings progress.
* take a picture of what you are saving toward (obviously works better for a house than retirement) and post it front and center.
*

[iamama]

Can you trade or barter with someone?

[holyhelianthus]

I'm not here yet as we haven't even disciplined ourselves enough to build up a firm savings I'm sure we will feel the same way you do but I just can't wait to even get to that point!

[sanguine_speed]

If you can somehow get into the mindset of the growing savings account as a fun thing, it can be exciting!

Having goals is really important for this, even interim goals. I get a kick out of putting a little extra in the savings account. I'll even go so far as to go to the bank with some change I found somewhere, lol. It's a little embarrassing but it ADDS UP and I love the progress.

Now, this might be easier for me right now because we are spending this particular savings in the next few months as we move into our first purchased home, and I get to actually buy new appliances with it too very soon. But a year ago it wasn't so easy!

[avendesora]

What's more exciting than blowing too much money is getting AMAZING deals. I just got two very good bikes for my kids for $13 at our local thrift store. Now, that was thrilling.

Aven

[granola_mom]

I find saving is more tolerable when I have a bunch of smaller savings accounts for specific goals rather than one or two larger ones. Obviously, do this with something like ING that doesn't charge you. When I had one savings account, I never felt I was making much progress because it looked like I was putting nothing away. Now I have separate accounts for things like auto, gifts and specific savings goals and I love seeing them grow in front of my eyes.

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by avendesora

What's more exciting than blowing too much money is getting AMAZING deals. I just got two very good bikes for my kids for $13 at our local thrift store. Now, that was thrilling.

Aven

:

I just got myself a new summer wardrobe of really cute and even trendy name brand stuff at a couple different thrift stores. I have seriously two huge piles of clothes and I spent $30!!! That was so exciting! People keep complimenting me and I can't help but brag, "Oh this sun dress? $2 at the thrift store!!!"

I find saving very thrilling, but I am a bit of a squirrel. I will take the change from grocery shopping or whatever and squirrel it away in a little box and surprise dh when it grows big enough!

Last summer we were pregnant we needed $3500 for the midwives, and we scrimped and saved. It was so much fun to pay the receptionist in 20 dollar bills!

[sunnysandiegan]

As others have pointed out... It is all a matter of perspective. Changing your perspective is the sticking point. Have fun with it. Allow yourself to see it a new way. Find joy everywhere you look and suddenly more things are exciting!

[Delicateflower]

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

* take a picture of what you are saving toward (obviously works better for a house than retirement) and post it front and center.

This is the problem! We're waiting to close on a house, all I do is look at pictures and plan things for it!

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

Now, this might be easier for me right now because we are spending this particular savings in the next few months as we move into our first purchased home, and I get to actually buy new appliances with it too very soon. But a year ago it wasn't so easy!

We're there, too. The savings account is so huge that even making a big deposit looks like nothing. And like you we need to save every cent for new house costs. The spending is so close I can taste it!

[hopefulfaith]

Garage saling. I needed a small pick-me-up today, and the kids are too snotty and sick to hike this week. I found a "They Might Be Giants" kids' CD for 0.25. Made my day!!

[Captain_Crunch]

Amen. I just keep telling myself, "Once I have $x in savings, I can buy whatever I want." then once I hit that amount I increase it, I know that I'm lying to myself but it does help when I think there is an end in sight.

[amyamanda]

Originally Posted by lil_earthmomma

Last summer we were pregnant we needed $3500 for the midwives, and we scrimped and saved. It was so much fun to pay the receptionist in 20 dollar bills!

LOL. We scrimped and saved and just bought a second car off Craigslist. We raided our secret money stash and paid in all denominations - 1s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, and 100s. The guy thought it was really funny. We had to count it out very meticulously in piles of 100s! But it felt SO good to pay cash, especially cash we saved so carefully.