Let’s Try This Again.
I have not written since March. Sorry about that.
To be honest, I didn’t know what to say.
The same cycle is repeating, but now we have fun new bills to add in. I really wanted to do better with money, but I fear I am really stuck in this pattern.
To refresh from my previous article, my personal financial repeat behavior was:
Spend too much
Feel guilty and return stuff/STOP COLD TURKEY
Gain a little confidence
Feel the need to treat myself for being so good/having money again
START SPENDING AGAIN
I wish I could report that after this year my behavior has magically changed. However it has not.
It would be at this point in financial counseling (if I was still doing it, and if I had a client like me in this situation) that I would be SUPER FRUSTRATED. Because frankly I’ve exhausted most of my financial literacy tools and resources.
However, as a professional I would have to take a breath, remain calm and ask: “Why are we doing this with our money again? Why, after all the hard work and progress you made are you throwing it away for STUFF?”
Things have gotten so bad I am contemplating doing a counseling session to remind myself why I used to be a good financial counselor.
Counseling Session:
Take out a piece of paper (or notes app) and physically write down money goals. Big or small, AGAIN.
Review expenses from the past month (I have two months to go through), no matter how painful or stressful it is to look.
Allow a freak out if necessary.
After a brief (and safe) mental breakdown, set ONE goal for the week. Remember to start small.
Where I’ve been struggling is follow through. The last piece necessary for following through on goals is accountability.
When teaching, counseling, or even just setting/achieving goals myself, I would emphasize the importance of a check in. It didn’t necessarily matter when or how often (to me), but just the fact that I had told someone about what I wanted to achieve and could check in for progress was helpful in achieving it.
Despite verbalizing what I want to achieve, my check ins have been almost non-existent. I feel like I’ve not only NOT progressed, but I’ve gone backwards.
Truthfully, since March I have not wanted to write, be super social, create, sew or actively work on my website or business. I’ll get moments of motivation, but they are fleeting, and usually dependent on if the babies are around.
Then I realized, the check-ins have gone by the wayside because I’ve been feeling ashamed and guilty about not being able to follow my own advice and feeling like a hypocrite for where I work.
When I was working in my early 20’s it was for survival. When I was working in my late 20’s/early 30’s it was for my passion/career. Now I’m working part time for my family for extra income and a discount on things we already buy. But at what cost?
I work a few days a week, but working for Target/Starbucks has become such an emotional and physical toll that I’ve been wondering again if it’s worth it?
How can I properly boycott these organizations if I’m working for them?
Both corporations no longer align with the values I once thought they did. Both support things I do not support. I don’t fault anyone for not walking away, but I’m reaching my limit.
Unfortunately our family budget has become reliant on the extra income and the discount my part time job provides.
With the prices and bills creeping up at every turn, and horrors persisting daily in our country, I have found it increasingly easy to feel overwhelmed, hopeless, and trapped.
When these feelings creep in, I spend.
However, this year, I’m prepared.
To break the pattern in 2026, these are things that have helped:
Spending time with loved ones (reminding myself at every turn why I need to be financially responsible, for my sweet babies)
Removing temptations (delete apps, unsubscribe from emails, taking different routes so I won’t “just stop real quick”)
Intentionally purchasing items and/or waiting a day (sometimes longer depending on the item)
“Am I giving my money to businesses/people that I support?”
“If I buy this right now am I using it today?”
“Do I have a place to put it?”
“Do I want to take care of it?”
Humor/Anger directed sayings:
“They won’t get a dime out of me” (instead of “I’m boycotting”)
“Jeff would just love if you bought that” (instead of “I don’t shop at Amazon")
“Do you want to give your money to villians?”
“That’s not very cash money of me”
While things haven’t gone perfectly, they have certainly improved.
As of today I have been the most successful I have ever been at a No-Spend month.
As of today I have written down and feel fairly confident in 3 financial goals for the year:
Complete 10 no spend weeks throughout the year
Pay off my credit card and limit to $300 or less a month
Rebuild savings to $5000 ($417 a month/$105 a week)
As of today I am not stressed out looking at our monthly budget or paying bills for the upcoming week.
As of today I am posting for the first time in almost a year. Maybe I’ll break the pattern after all.
