Who’s done it? I bet you have.
Four days into the new year and I told myself (like you probably did) that I wasn’t going to be one of those people…you know…those stupid idiot people…the ones who, in spite of gearing up for and celebrating New Year’s Eve in whatever fantasmagorical way they chose, somehow *cannot* remember the year changed.
It’s 2016 y’all…we know that, right? We would never continue to write ‘2015’ on any piece of paper that needs dating…would we?
*raises hand* Umm…totally and completely guilty. And I kicked myself every single time I did it (that’s right…I did it *more* than once). I know* it’s 2016. I promise I’m not just stupid…
I’ll just shuffle along the dunce’s bench here, and hope that you’ll come and sit down beside me, so that we can at least have a giggle about our apparent inability to compute the change in year, in spite of parties, resolutions, ‘words’ for the year, and all the other trappings which come with the change of the calendar.
I’m pretty confident we’ll have it figured out by the weekend two weeks time February.
Thing is, our brains are pretty amazing things, and I suspect the year is one of those things which becomes so automatic we don’t even think about it any more. We weave the stars between our neural pathways and internalise the cycling of the earth around the sun. It becomes more engrained than biting your nails from boredom, or typing it ‘becuase’ first time (every time).
Until it doesn’t. Until there’s a change, and no matter how anticipated, our brains spend the first few weeks with date-in-mouth syndrome as our unconscious mind tries to catch up, berating itself silently each time it slips. Take heart – noticing you flubbed it (again) is the first step to learning. It’s when you don’t notice you’re still writing “2015” that you gotta worry.
*worries*
That said, I’m hardly a paragon of excellence when it comes to dates (or anything numbers-related, if I’m honest). In the past few months, I’ve managed to schedule meet-ups with friends on days which didn’t exist (because I’d attributed a different date to the day), arranged outings on days I’m not free (because I can’t match up the fourth day of the month with a Wednesday, when the month starts on a Sunday) and I definitely just spelled ‘match’ as ‘math’, the first time around.
Historical goofs include not being able to figure out a 20% tip (NB – do NOT divide the tens and units by 5 and add them together…just move the decimal point one place to the (ohholycrapIcan’tremember) right (if I sound confident enough maybe you won’t notice) and *voila* – 20%) and giving people change from money I’ve just given them, with more of my own money.
Nonetheless I sat down last week and worked out a budget sheet so that I can save in the region of GBP1000 per month until I leave for Murica and Studentiness, SO that I can leave for Murica and Studentiness. I’ll be living on about GBP200 per month (which is terribly exciting and adventurous and *definitely* requires some resilience) and…it’s going to be okay! I’m pretty sure if I can keep rainbowing when the only colour I have is black, I can keep living well when the only money I have is slim pickings still more than some people have, and I’m THANKFUL, and certain I can make it work.
I have a strategy, you see, and the strategy is ENVELOPES (I’m safe with those, because they’re paper and I can write on them with words).
I’ll mark the envelopes ‘groceries’, ‘clothes’, ‘miscellaneous’, ‘giving’, and ‘fun’ (‘gym’ and ‘phone’ will go on direct debits and not bother me in the least) and at the beginning of each month I will take out CASH to fill those envelopes with the allotted amounts, and then once the money’s gone…it’s gone (eep!).
The logic here is that when paying with plastic (as I currently do), I hand over the card, push some numbers, and get the card back. No pain, just gain – It’s like almost nothing happened. I find I sometimes spend money with the same attitude, then wonder where it all went. Paying with cash, I’ll hand over the money and get back…schrapnel. Or nothing. And I will notice that I’m paying for stuff, hopefully starting a trend of paying a bit more heed to how often it happens and how much I shell out on those occasions.
Watch this space for savings galore., and on the offchance it works, feel free to give it a try and see how much you save. It could prove to be a pretty cool system.
Or a total mess, which falls somewhere between 2015, 20%, and next Thursday…because this financial wizardry is all coming atcha from the mind of someone who managed to have an accidental nap on the floor of a hallway, (I was waiting for pins-and-needles to fade, and as my legs came awake, the rest of me started falling asleep) having carefully set a wake-up call on my phone for the day before.
You’re welcome.
I’ve heard the envelope system works well for budgeting! I wouldn’t know for sure, because I am the world’s worst budgeter. I’m probably going to live to regret that.
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Lol…I haven’t started the system yet. I realised I’ve probably messed it up already and have lost impetus to check. OSTRICH APPROACH!
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There is a show here where the host, an expert with money, she teaches a couple to save using the jar method, which is a lot like your envelope method for saving for your new adventure. I like the way you, who is better with words admittedly, likes the paper way of doing things because it allows you to write on envelopes.
🙂
Nice twist to your strengths. Glad you recovered from your unexpected floor nap. Didn’t sound too good at first, whe I read that. I have had enough with people falling, passing out, and alike.
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Yes, I suspect you’re well and truly OVER that kind of behaviour! I had another floor nap later in the week, but this time intentionally.
It’s encouraging to know I’m on the right track with the money thing. I now HAVE the envelopes in the right place, but I’ve yet to do anything with them. My problem is I get all excited and then lose impetus when it comes to completion. *sigh* Gotta figure it OUT, man!
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Jiminiy Christmas L. Just because you are giving me summa2thinkon doesn’t mean you should ACTUALLY give me something to think on. All this resolviness and resolutionizing is rubbing off on me… 😉
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Heheheheh ut-ohhhh! I think your resolution COULD be to find out what happened to those oreos…
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Paper money in paper envelopes. I like it. I feel that you will be off of the dunce’s bench.
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Heheh I do hope so! I found some paper money today and STASHED it, which was nice. I love finding money I’ve left in silly places, or getting it back from people to whom I’ve loaned it, or who owed it, and I’d forgotten all about it.
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One of my favorite stories (if I’m insane enough to tell it — oops!) is when my parents were going to take me to the airport to catch a flight. I had stayed with them the night before. And I had looked at my flight time and added the “need to be there” interval to it. But I did my calculations too soon, because in my mind, I started thinking of THAT time as the flight time, and then added the “need to be there” interval AGAIN. I didn’t realize my mistake until we got to the airport. Some good did come out of it. My dad took us to breakfast to “eat up” the extra time. 😉
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Kayso when I went to America back in September (and you JUST reminded me of this with your story) I managed to mismatch the days and dates, and ended up with an extra day in Texas, quite by accident.
I also wrote a journal every day. One day is missing, and I don’t know WHICH DAY!
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We tried the envelope system and it worked! I have no idea why we stopped. I’ll have my husband read your blog for inspiration. Or, well, since I am mathematically challenged too, this might make him depressed. It cheers me up to find kindred spirits!
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LOL I’m so glad I’m not the only one who struggles with maths! But the envelope system WILL WORK…I just need to look at my bank account online (which involves shenanigans of the highest degree to get my login details) and then work out what I’ve spent so far and what I have for the remainder of the month…*sigh*
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I look forward to hearing about your success!
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I hope to come back with favourable reports!
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The budget and envelope systems works very well for people who stick with it, which I have complete faith you will. When you have a massive goal such as yours, you will do what it takes. (By the way, you could head to daveramsey.com for ideas and a free budget tool. He’s all about the budget and envelope system.)
I will write 2015 at least through the end of July.
I took 4 kids to the dentist 40 minutes early. My calendar said 11:20, I decided we needed to leave at 10:40, then somehow my brain turned it into the appt. is at 10:40. We left the house at 10.
I also forgot to go to a Christmas party. It was on my calendar, and I really wanted to go. Didn’t remember until the next day.
My brain needs a reboot, but I can’t find the control-alt-delete buttons.
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Ohhhhboy! Shame about the Christmas party but at least the dentist appointments got kept even if you were very early. I’ve gotten appointment times wrong before too.
I’ll check out your link. Thank you. I need all the help I can get, but the motivation is so huge I’m pretty confident I’ll do it. My sadness is not getting to send so many glitterbombs… 😦
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Oh, and a new favourite way I have to ‘make’ money is to buy something I’m not sure about, then if I take it back a refund is like ‘free’ money 😀
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Heheh I can’t see that working with groceries or charity shops. I’m now trying to think…the last new things I bought were presents for other people lol.
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But it’s very useful for impulsive buys in Expensive Shoppes. I have a growing pile of charity shop purchases which will be making their way back!
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Hee hee I do that with books…
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I have that thing too – so many times I’ve arranged meetings with dates and days which don’t match. I foolishly bought a new diary – purely for its cute owls – which has the days and dates on opposite pages; I’m already in turmoil. Like the idea of putting money in envelopes. I took out my budget for the week and put it all in my purse, not sure I have the willpower to manage that
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You could break it down and have your money in there per day, I guess. My advantage in being consciously so hopeless with money is that if I think I haven’t got it, I’m usually pretty careful about not spending it.
Your diary sounds pretty, but like you might need to repurpose the cuteness and start over with a different one to actually make sense of the year 😉
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I know…my feet are itching to pop along to Paperchase…you know, just for the walk…..
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Ohhhhhh I feel like you should at least CHECK…
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I accidentally fell asleep on the living room floor the other day. Also, I think it’s brilliant to save in the manner in which you’re saving! Because then you can come home to us!
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Ohhh YAY! Did you? You’re not just saying that? *giggles* I’m so glad! Floor naps ARE fun…it was just the accidental nature of this one, coupled with my goof on the alarm clock (I thought I’d been doing so well!)
And YES! That’s my plan…coming home to you. I’m so excited and SO hope I can make it work.
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True story. You can ask Brian!
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Heheh BRILLIANT! I’m so happy about that 🙂
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I love floor naps – they are from the Gods and never give them up. The envelope thing sounds like a pain in the ass to me but I’m not good with All The Papers, Everywhere, which is what they are. I’ve even started taking photos of my son’s art because OMG PAPER EVERYWHERE. Also I can’t help with budget. I suck at that. Always have. In my poorest, I just remember thinking “food or bus money?” and usually choosing food. I think.
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Next time I floor nap, I think I’d rather it was somewhere a bit warmer than an unheated hallway…it was the cold that woke me up, so yeah…
I *do* love naps though. Many as possible 🙂
My papers will be very contained. I’m almost certain. My struggle is receipts, which irritate me immensely and I don’t want to have to worry about them. Course, I’ll have to plan considerably more than I currently do – there’ll be no ‘happening to buy’ any more, cos I’ll have to make sure I take money WITH me to places, to buy stuff.
Annnnnddd, I think I would choose food too. Unless it was raining, in which case BUS!
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Yay! You’re coming to Murica! Can’t wait!! (Don’t starve before you get here though).
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Oh the irony… 😉
I won’t starve. I have a very robust budget, and I’m pretty sure that my comestibles will fall within it 🙂
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Wellllll – the envelope thing is SUPPOSED to work – there’s a catch though. you have to count the money going into them – Eeeeek – numbers – oh the horror. I think I once wrote the wrong year on a check almost into February [cue the giggling on the dunce bench] – Fun post and I think you really will pull this budget thing off.
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I’m SO thankful that chip-and-pin means I don’t need to deal with cheques! I think part of the ‘problem’ is I only need to write the date once a day with my job, because I have print-outs on which it’s already done. I’ll get there. In the end. Eventually. Probably.
I hope the budget thing works…should be okay to figure out the money going IN. I’m looking forward to the day the ‘fun’ envelope builds up a bit 😉
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You seem quite adept at creating fun with or without a budget.
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I kept two kids entertained for 40 minutes with scissors and plain paper. I’m good at inventing free fun 😀
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I’m laughing about you lying on the hallway floor, napping. I think the envelopes are a great idea. Helps you stay sorted and you can stash it and keep it separated. There was a little girl who, when asked what she wanted for Christmas said an ATM card. It magically produced cash. Oh, and the 2015/2016 thing. I’m pretty good the first couple of weeks, bookkeeping and all. Round mid-Fed I revert back to 2015 subconsciously.
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I laughed too – I was so sore when I woke up that I laid there for about another ten minutes waiting for the ouch to ease!
I giggled at the little girl’s answer because I feel slightly that way when I get cashback at the store…quite forgetting of course that the nice checkout chap hasn’t given me free cash…it’s just another ‘hidden’ way of spending.
Funny that you revert in mid-Feb…I really hope to have it down pat by then! Not gonna hold my breath.
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Envelopes are the best 🙂 That’s how I taught my kids to save . . . I save every bit of silver change too (that is what got me to Oklahoma last year, if something is $1.20 I fork over $2.00 and put the change in my lovely little green piggy bank. If the cashier asks if I have the twenty cents I fib and say nope.
As for the year, I haven’t written 2015 on anything so far, I did however almost send off two checks dated 1995. Why? How? My brain is clearly busted! Numerical anything simply breaks me.
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LOL 1995 is an EPIC stretch of the imagination. Wow! I feel a little better now 😉
I collect pennies. Need to turn them into cash sometime soon. I think I can use them to redeem against groceries with the coinstar, so I might do that. Collecting silver change is fa more lucrative though…and YAY for your OK trip 🙂
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I find that I do really well remembering the new year in January. Then, just as soon as February rolls around, and I think I have it down, and I’m all “I got this”, I start screwing it up. Never fails!!
Your budgeting sounds like a great idea. I could use a lesson in that, for sure. Good luck!!
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Ohhh you get complacent! The new year is a tricky one, and definitely not my forte for at least the first month (and a half).
The budgeting…I went on a course once, and this is all I remember of it. I’m pretty sure the rest was really helpful too, and probably much more streamlined than I’ve made it, but it’s my plan and I’m sticking to it.
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