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Bit the Bullet

March 24th, 2015 at 04:31 pm

Well, we ended up buying a computer. We got a cheap (but rather decent) desktop for $300 total. I won't have to pay for anything else, transferring over the anti-virus, using one of my Office365 downloads, and re-downloading Quicken. All I think I will move over will be pictures and a few word/excel documents. I want to keep this computer clean.

This expense and an unexpected weekend travel (gas and a little eating out) puts me over our goal of keeping our discretionary costs under $1,000 for the month. We have the room from tax refunds to go over, but we won't have that extra padding for long. I vow in April to keep it in line.

By the way, I'm finding the motivation to save is a LOT harder than the motivation to get out of debt. We have decent emergency funds that I'm comfortable with (a human one, a small pet one, and an ok vehicle one), we have enough for a small down payment on a cheap house. But really, we should strive to hit the 20% down mark. It's easier to spend to "refuel" the things we've put off for so long than to save more, especially since we don't have the flexibility to save at our previous level. Which I'm finding is a motivation buster in itself.

Or maybe it would be better to throw money at our 0% van loan? Trick me into paying off "debt". Although that makes me cringe, because my Capital One 360 accounts make me money. Actually, I don't think I could stomach that idea. Weird... And in all honesty, we're talking about maybe $125/month in the end - significant, but really not life changing at this point.

So, how do you get motivated to save more?

2 Responses to “Bit the Bullet”

  1. snafu Says:
    1427216814

    I wish I could find the right words to motivate you to save for 20% DP on whatever house you choose to buy. Mortgage insurance is ridiculously expensive and only protects the lender. It offers you zilch, nadda, a whole lot of money month in and month out for a long time. Over and above you need homeowner insurance for more premiums ouch.

    Motivation...how much do you want to be a home owner rather than a renter? Are you willing to reduce food budget via meal planning and forgo small treats like meals out? Cut backs like plan errands with other travels, check on line for coupons, buy sale merchandise, use price match app? My biggie to increase saving was to forgo all impulse purchases. If it isn't on the list, it is not a bargain no matter how much it is desired.

    I'm having problems with my MacBook Air and am seriously considering a no brand iPad. I had to give up on Quicken when I chose Apple as there is no Q application but find Mint quite efficient. Don't miss Quicken

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    1427238976

    It can be harder to save than pay off debt, however I have found that automatic payments help a lot! If you know you could spare $50 twice a month, set up a transfer to occur on payday or the day after into your savings account. Then all you have to do is record!

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