This post is brought to you by The Huntington National Bank and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
While it is important that we save money, saving all of your money would lead to a very boring life! And I don’t know about you, but I like to live a little. Although, I will say, my life has changed. In the past, depending on what it was, I was hesitant to spend good money on myself unless it was for vacation. As I have gotten older I have learned to treat myself, and learned to enjoy life a little bit more. Now? I’m more likely to buy the shoes, buy the purse, or book the cruise. However, I do try to practice smart spending when I can.
Of course, there is some money that must be spent on things that are just not fun. The mortgage has to be paid. Household bills like that lights, gas, and water… these are necessities. And paying these bills usually keeps us comfortable, but it’s not fun!
Do Some Healthy Dreaming
I have a confession… at least twice a week I take a few minutes from working and zone out to browse cruise and vacation websites. I absolutely love to travel! And when I’m not traveling, I am always dreaming about where to go next. This is healthy for a few reasons… #1 It gives me something to look forward to. #2 It gives me motivation to keep hustling. #3 It motivates me to eat better and work out. LOL! Yes, this might sound like it has nothing to do with spending money… but it does! When I have a goal that I want to lose 15 lbs by vacation, I stop spending on fast food, and make healthier, more reasonable choices when grocery shopping.
Whether your goal is vacation, remodeling your bathroom, or you have a different goal… do some dreaming and make some plans! Think about it, start a vision board or some notes to inspire you to reach your goal.
Stash Some Money to Achieve Your Goal
As mentioned above, I love to travel. And of course, this costs money. Many cruise and vacation sites will let you put down a certain amount, and pay for the remainder of your vacation over time. In addition, you want to have spending money. Using a tool like Huntington Bank’s Savings Goal GetterSM tool on The Hub is a great way to save money. It can be used on both the website and mobile app to automatically transfer money to your Huntington Bank .
So, want to take a vacation in June 2020? Create a “June vacation” savings goal, set the date, and when used in conjunction with the transfer tool, you can set a designated amount to transfer every Friday, every 2 weeks based on when you get paid, once a month, or whenever you like. You can also transfer money manually to meet your goal faster.
You can also use the Huntington ® tool to receive alerts by email, text, or push that will help you reach your budgeting goals (as always, message and data rates may apply). You will get alerts on spending, savings, and you whether or not you are meeting your goals.
Pamper Yourself
I am not high maintenance at all. No, really… I’m not! There are some who pay to get hair, nails, toes, eyebrows, and makeup done every week, and massages once a month! And if you can do this, I think it’s awesome! However, for me, it’s not my thing. Now don’t get me wrong… I love being a woman, and I love feeling pretty. But, I think it’s a patience thing. I usually have so much going on that I keep it simple. However, there are a couple of things that I do get done professionally. My hair is natural, but I do visit a barber, sometimes once a month, sometimes once every two months. I love getting pedicures in the summer. But, in the winter I usually skip it. My toes are not showing, and the thought of going out in the cold after soaking my feet does not appeal to me. LOL!
Whatever pampering you choose to do, budget for it. Self-care if very important and it helps reduce stress. Don’t want to go to the shop? Consider doing it yourself. Check this list of free samples by mail and see what you can get to pamper yourself at home.
Treat the Family to Dinner
Having 4 kids at home, this is something that we do not do enough because it can be very expensive. However, we recently took the kids to a popular Brazilian steakhouse for their first time. They had a blast! The meat coma was well worth it. 🙂
We may not splurge on such a high-end dinner next time, but I would definitely like to do that more often.
Life is Short, Buy the Shoes
This is another area where I am pretty low maintenance. I work in IT, so that means that I am often pushing a cart full of computers, crawling under a desk or table, or moving around a full lab of computers. Because of this, I never dress up to come to work. My “uniform” usually consists of jeans, a sweater or t-shirt, and my favorite pair of sneakers. Now, I hardly ever wear heels. My body told me to stop it a long time ago. LOL! So, I stock up on plenty of comfy shoes!
I even have a glass that matches my motto!
No matter if you take time looking at reviews, prefer to shop online, or are happier going in-store to check out a particular item (especially when it comes to wearing accessories like the best glasses) you deserve to feel special, and to pamper yourself.
Need some tips on saving some money? See my previous post, 4 Ways to Reach Your Savings Goals.
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