This is a personal log entry for my 30-day budget challenge. You can also keep me honest by tracking my current activity page.
Here we go - I'd like to say this first week is going to be easy, but it's probably the hardest. I'm going to use the recaps not only to log my own progress but to elaborate on some of what's in the book.
Stop impulse buying.
This challenge lasts the entire 30 days, and it's not easy. I cheat a little – I work from home and sometimes don't leave the house for 3 days at a time. On the other hand, there's a soda machine on the 5th floor of our condo building. Impulse buying isn't just picking up a candy bar while you're in the grocery store checkout – it's spending money based on any sudden impulse. The soda machine and the 7-11 down the street are my big enemies here.
Follow the 24-hour rule.
I previously wrote in detail about my 24-hour rule. This one's pretty easy for me, because I've been doing it for over 10 years. It's mostly about the big impulses - that iPad 2 your friend shows you that you decide you can't live without. I'm not trying to tell you what you should spend your money on. I just want you to stop and think about it.
Face the whole truth.
Here's where the first 10 days will probably make or break you. This challenge starts with facing your entire financial reality and being honest about your spending. You've got 10 days, but don't put it off.
I try to do this with my wife at least quarterly now. We've been very aggressive about cutting our debts, so I don't have any major skeletons in that closet. Where I'm personally falling short is the bad daily habits – we've got enough money that I'm not always careful, but it still adds up over time. So, my personal challenge will be more honesty about the small stuff.
There's still time to join in.
The guide is only 30 pages, and you can read it as you go (plus, it's free). I'll update every 10 days with my own progress, but feel free to leave a comment at any time (on the updates or the original post), to let me know how you're doing.