I'm cleaning some things up on my blog.

I am out of the $20 challenge. It just did not motivate me at all in 2008, and so I guess I am no longer in.

I think the thing for me was it really motivated me to scrounge up change when we weren't saving much. BUT we are saving a lot more and I am reverting to the "pay yourself first" philosophy much more. I could track that, but it's kind of boring. I don't need the motivation of a challenge either. Believe me, I pay myself first. Nothing will change that.

Likewise, I already posted this in 2007, but I felt I spent too much time and energy chasing pennies. Though I Certainly have gotten some better habits and have embraced some cost savings and other sources of income, I just don't care to spend the time to track it all any more. I guess it's one thing to chase pennies. It's another thing to spend more time tracking the pennies saved. Ugh.

In addition, dh is carrying most of the load here. He is the one who clips coupons, who shops smarter for groceries, and who makes money on the side from ebay and such. As usual, I feel my time is much better spent at my job, where I am paid quite well, even for overtime. So as he picks up some slack, I am happy to focus more on my job. I am far better off chasing a 1% raise than spending an inordinate amount of time to save a few hundred dollars.

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I'm keeping an exercise log on the side to kind of motivate me. If I can squeeze 3 days a week of moderate exercise during tax season/winter, I am good. The rest of the year it isn't such a challenge.

A am also re-attempting the "New/Used/Free" thing. I think it would be fascinating to track what was brought into our house, and purged, throughout the year. Every year I try, but it gets way too overwhelming. For example, dh went shopping yesterday, so I already have stuff to add. & as usual, tracking what we buy is not the hard part. Tracking what we receive is another story. I know our family means well, but somehow we are a dumping ground for unwanted crap. I have been really good lately about setting it out for donation. BUT I think the charities have been coming around way more than usual due to the Holidays. Averaging once a week pickup. Doesn't get any easier than that. MIL left us a pile of crap, and we set it out on the front porch for donation. However, we gave SIL a toy that she asked to have. & then she sent it back. Guess we could donate it, but we want to sell it. So, stuff like that is just never ending. (& BTW - when we give you something - we don't want it back!!!!!!! I guess she was being polite, but we have been in such a purge mode, both dh and I were extremely annoyed. LOL. Glad it wasn't just me - I think he was more peeved than I Was).

Anyway, yeah, I have my New/Used/Free page on the side as well. Will see how long I can keep up.