So far, none of these questions have been as challenging as we thought.  I know this because Dana mentioned that we should do this more often (I wish I had a recorder because she proposed that we do this once a quarter, 4 times a year).  I gave her, in my best Moe Syzlak from the Simpsons voice, “Whaaaat?!”   Dana, we need you blog about this.  We’re calling for you.  Dana! Dana! Dana!

"Whaaaat?!"

There are some minor challenges that we are facing.  Here are a couple of mine and how I am dealing with it.

Haircut- I have been doing well getting my haircut when I needed one instead of way after the fact.  I know this because my hair stylist doesn’t question me when I ask for a 2 guard on the sides (“You know, Bryan, a 2 guard is really short.  Are you sure you want me to use it?  It will look much different than it does now.”)   I was supposed to get a haircut 2 weeks ago.  Now, I am looking at another two weeks unless I find a free haircut somewhere.   I am really starting to get shaggy. 

• Dana is good at a lot of things, but giving a haircut is not one of them.   After a botched haircut attempt while we were living in Germany, it is an unspoken rule that this is not an option. 

Dry Cleaning – I really want to get my shirts dry cleaned, but I must wait.  Instead, I am doing a couple of things that will keep me distracted until February. 

1. I am wearing sweaters on cold days.  I realized that I may be wearing them too much when I tell people at the office how I am saving money by wearing sweaters and they simply say, “We’ve noticed.” 
2. I have increased my golf shirt usage on not as cold days.  Just by wearing a golf shirt one additional day per week is saving 20% in dry cleaning. 
3. Believing that I will iron.  I have had 5 shirts sitting on a chair downstairs handpicked to be ironed out by me.  Those shirts haven’t moved all month. 

So, if you see a guy walking down the street with wrinkled clothing, ratty hair, and smells like sweaty Polo Sport deodorant, don’t jump to conclusions and think that he is homeless.  He could be on a monthly spending fast.

Our average monthly expenses for 2009 were $1452.00 above and beyond our monthly bills.  Some categories we stayed under and some other, not so much (newborns are expensive.)    Here is how our 2009 turned out and what our 2010 budget looks like. 

Therefore, if we only pay gas money this month ($220.00), our savings equals $1120.00 ($1340-$220) based on this year’s budget, or, $1232.00 ($1452-$220) saved based on last year’s actual spending.   Even if we lose by $100-$200 this month, we are still close to $1000.00. 

Either way, I hope this sheds some light into how the numbers come out for us.

Does anyone remember the song in 2000, Try Again by Aaliyah, that says, “If at first you don’t succeeeeed, dust yourself off and try again.  You can dust it off and try again (try again.)”  This will be the theme as you go through this program.  (My apologizes if that song gets stuck in your head.) Sometimes, the numbers that you put on paper don’t always work in real life.  Keep trying. 

Emergencies will happen.  Set-backs will take place.  There is no way to sugar coat this.  Your key to success will be how well you stick with it.  My high school basketball coach always reminded us that 10% of life is what happens to us and 90% is how we deal with it.  Learn from your mistakes, lick your wounds, cry it out, or eat a gallon of ice cream.  Whatever you do, get back up the next day and continue to fight. 

I will never forget the day I wrote a check for $1900.00 to AAMCO Transmissions (I have changed their jingle to “Double A, (bleep, bleep) M-C-O”) in the same month that I was about to write off my final credit card balance.  I almost cried as I paid the mechanic.   Looking back on that day, I can take away two key reminders: first, I did actually have the money to pay for that $1900.00 transmission.  Thanks to my buffer and my $1000.00 savings, I was able to write a check without using a credit card.   Even more importantly, this set back did not stop my wife and me from accomplishing what we set out to do.  Sure it hurt.  Sure we sulked for a little while.  But we got back up and continued to fight.  That was over 3 years ago.  I am glad we decided to continue.

This blog is a forum to encourage you through an online community, to continue to battle and to share in the victories and to bounce back from the set-backs (notice how I didn’t use defeat.)  Defeat happens when you stop fighting.  Everything else that happens is just a set-back. 

Victories

Have you completed a step?  Smile.  Tell us about it.  Rework your new monthly numbers and move on to the next step. 

Have you completed a phase?  Celebrate.  Party.  Tell everyone.  Rework your monthly numbers and begin the new phase. 

Sharing and celebrating your victories, large and small, are a vital part of this program.  You have no idea how much encouragement and motivation it gives to others around you when you tell them about your wins.  We would love to hear from you.  Dana and I have seen the power of groups when they come together and are always amazed at the results that it produces.  Let’s do this together.  Give us an excuse to celebrate.  This is what life is all about. 

When we wrote off our final debt, we spent around $100.00 for a night on the town.  Doesn’t seem like much, but it does when you are living on a tight budget for a while.  It felt great and the food was excellent.  We are currently a few percentage points shy of completing phase 2.  We don’t have any celebration plans, but trust me, we will celebrate. 

We work way too hard not to enjoy life.  This program is about delaying gratification, not eliminating gratification.  What are you going to do to celebrate?