habits new and old

Looking back on this year and our experience with Project Money, Noah and I have had some time to talk and reflect on how we’ve changed and stayed the same. Why were we able to change in some areas and not others?

For example, when we were cutting costs, we didn’t give up our YMCA membership – in retrospect, I think I didn’t want to change that because I identify as a swimmer. Before I could really modify that habit and area of spending, I’d have to identify as a non-swimmer. Also, swimming has been very helpful with keeping my mental health in order and I worried about finding another area that would fill that need for me during an otherwise somewhat stressful time. I could have saved a few hundred dollars by finding another way to exercise.

An area that we were able to change was eating out. True, it is easier to cut eating out during COVID when no one is going out as much but I do miss gathering with friends and enjoying a nice meal. What I realized is that I don’t miss eating out because of necessity. Takeout for a family of five can be pricey and we have succeeded at eating out in the past because we are busy and wouldn’t have anything ready for dinner. We were able to stop eating out because we planned, bought meals and made them ahead of time as part of a weekly routine. It became an enjoyable habit and something we did together which solidified it as a consistent change and we’ve been happy to see the dining out expenses decrease.

Even though we weren’t able to make all of the changes that we hoped to, we stuck with the ones that we made. Saving money became a shared project instead of a source of friction. Our kids became more grateful for things we did buy instead of expecting everything they asked for. Our financial future is bright and is a source of pride in our lives in a way that it has never been before.