Hi Enlifers! Happy Holidays! Speaking of holidays, we had an unexpected snowstorm the other day – well kind of unexpected-the forecast said snow, but I thought-“oh-it’ll just be a dusting” and we ended up with a complete Winter Wonderland! This unexpected spill of the white stuff resulted in some much appreciated time with family and our neighbors! Which leads me to this post. What’s most important during the holidays and I would argue all the time? People and Relationships! Goes back to what one of my favorite personal finance consultants, Suze Orman, used to say – “People First, Then Money, Then Things”. So over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with a holiday spend plan aka budget. I’ve been very sensitive to spending unnecessarily and questioning EVERY purchase lately as I work intentionally toward a minimalist lifestyle and financial independence. Whenever I look to purchase something, I usually evaluate the purchase with these two questions: 1) Do I really NEED this or WANT this? AND 2) Do I have something already that I could use to accomplish the same goal that I want to achieve with this purchase”. Now, I have to say that this combo has really been working for me lately – It has really sparked my creativity with things! For example, we have a kitchen drawer that won’t close, so in order to fix the problem, I was looking to purchase a new drawer assembly, but instead I decided to try an idea using some magnets and super glue I had already and lo and behold, it worked! and I spent $0. Take THAT Amazon shopping cart! And just yesterday, I was in the market for some all-purpose cleaner for the kitchen and just decided to fill up my previous bottle with a mix of water, dish detergent and splash of bleach. Works like a charm!! BUT as I have contemplated the holiday expenses, I haven’t been feeling so great about some of the initial money saving decisions like nixing the holiday cards we normally send out every year (I figured it could save me time AND money) or staying home to save on travel or actually not giving gifts at all! The funny thing is that yesterday, spending time and having fun with friends and family made me think of the ONE thing I hadn’t considered in my holiday expenses…..Joy!. Would this purchase bring me joy? Would it bring joy to others? Wow. Eureka! Though I could definitely save some money by not sending out holiday cards this year, it did not sit well with my spirit. That normal high I get when I save money did not equal the joy that this purchase would bring. We’ve been sending holiday cards every year since we got married and I always imagined that my future self would one day put each year’s card together in a collage and see how we’ve changed and grown over the last 20 or 25 years. What a gift that would be. I’d hate to look back and see one year missing because I chose money over memory making. So I decided to buy the darn cards! Now I didn’t do it in the same way as I had in previous years-spending $150 or more in cards and postage, but instead I opted for less expensive photo cards which doesn’t actually affect my joy quotient and will be about one third of the historical costs including postage! I found the balance of spending less and experiencing joy. I’m geeked and happy as I’ll have a card for 2017 and all that 2017 represented (like starting this blog) and hopefully put a smile on some of my family and friend’s faces that have come to expect this yearly goody! So in closing, I urge you to choose balance-choose joy during the holiday season! Enjoy the season-Enhance your life-Buy the darn holiday cards! #enlife
In Love & Joy!
MK