Saving – shemakescents

{Week 11 Recap} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on March 11, 2016January 22, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

Happy Friday Lovelies! For whatever reason, this week has seemed to drift by slowly. I thought it was Friday at least twice this week (#epicfail). Now that Friday is actually here, it’s time to kickoff the weekend and share progress for the 52 Week BINGO Challenge. After scheduling bill payments and doing my zero-based budget for the next two weeks, I decided to cross off $11.00 this week. It was more important to me to focus my money toward savings, so I upped my savings contribution and lowered the amount I decided to save for this challenge this week.

Thus far in the challenge, I have saved a total of $432.00 and my credit card balance is down to $2800.00. I hate that I even got myself back into credit card debt with charges from the wedding and car repairs that happened months apart. But, hey, you live and you learn. I learned that even if you hit your goal, like I did when I got my credit card balance down to zero the first time, it is very easy to relapse into old habits or make poor decisions that get you right back to where you started. It happens. On the bright side, I have never been more focused on my financial goals as I am now and taking this step backward has inspired a new and focused momentum. What number did you cross off this week?

shemakescents{at}gmail {dot}com | Instagram @shemakescents

The First Piggy Bank

Published on April 4, 2011April 19, 2013 by Danielle YB Vason4 Comments

Last summer will forever be burned into my memory as the summer of 27 Dresses….well maybe more like 6, but that is still doing the most. That’s right, I was in SIX weddings last summer and TWO the summer before that. And guess what? They are now all having babies and their due dates are within weeks of each other. Saturday, I attended the first of four baby shower’s for the spring/summer season for a princess that is scheduled to arrive in June. Shopping for the princess to be, I knew I wanted to get her something special because of the relationship I have with the mom. I also wanted to get the little princess something that she can use when she gets older and remember as something that her Auntie Danielle (yep, I assigned myself as an aunt) gave her before she was a born. So I got her this and I put her name on it:

A piggy bank from Auntie “She Makes Cents” seems like a perfect fit. Unfortunately, it broke before the mom and dad opened the gift (that kind of hurt my heart). The gift also got me to thinking about when one should start saving. When I was little, I used to pick up pennies from the ground and put them in a red rider wagon. I would be so excited to find pennies and I thought I was rich when I got my first hundred. I poured them on the floor of my room and counted them proudly. That is my first memory of me saving all by myself.

When did you start saving for yourself? How do you introduce saving to children?

Let me know your saving stories.