10 Days Before The Project Begins....The Countdown Is On!
I will not lie, as I start this blog. As a journalism major, I know the importance of being ethical, in everything that I write. After all, a writer is only as good as his word. So, here is the truth. I have attempted this project, more than a few times in the past. Some times, I have not made it all that far, and other times, I have surprised myself. But, I have yet to make my one year mark. And this time, I will do whatever it takes, to make sure that I see this thing through. I am tired of this project proving to be something that is impossible for me to accomplish. I am tired of feeling as though I have let myself down. The idea to do this seemed so grand, when it first came to me. And even now, as I sit here, starting it yet again, it still seems like such a wonderful thing for me to do.
And so, in 10 days, I will OFFICIALLY begin this project, one final time.
My name is Michael Leach. I turned 30 last year, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to do this project in the first place. I examined my life, up until the point of first attempting this project. And, honestly, I did not like what I found. In 30 years, I have really accomplished nothing, that I can say I am happy over. There have been no real 'big deals' in my life. I had wasted my 20's away, and now, I was an adult, with nothing to show for myself. Now, as I attempt this project again, I still feel this way. There is nothing for me to say that I am proud to have done. And I know this project will offer me this. It is time for me to grow up. It is time for me to find something in myself, that I can take pride in. It is time to test myself, in one massively extreme way, and come out victorious.
I am a compulsive spender. Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, I spent money, as though it grows in abundance, on a tree in my yard. I have an addiction to spending money. I am happy when I am spending money (on anything, really), and I rarely think about the financial troubles that I am creating for myself. Money is something that I have a big problem, keeping in my wallet.
In 10 days, this will change. In 10 days, my spending goes on lock-down, and I will be putting myself through a one year crash course, of Money Saving 101. There are 365 days in a year. This project will begin on July 1, 2012, and end on June 30, 2013. And in this year, I will allow myself a grand total of $365.00, to spend on frivolous purchases. I will split this yearly allowance, as follows. I will allow myself a monthly allowance, to match the number of days in said month. For example, in July, I will allow myself a monthly allowance of $31.00. In February, 2013, I will allow myself $28.00. I can use this money however I want. But, once it is gone, it is gone. I will have to wait until the following month to get my allowance. To make it even more interesting, the idea is to save as much of my monthly allowance, as is possible. At the end of each month, I will match whatever amount of my allowance, I have left over. I will then put this in a savings account, which I will not touch until the end of the project. This money that I save, will go toward celebrating the success of this project, when all is said and done.
Of course, there are certain things that I will still NEED to spend on. I will have to pay bills, rent, and get gasoline for my moped, so I can make it to doctor's appointments, and so on. I will also have to buy food. These are needed purchases, and will not be counted in how I spend my monthly allowance. The allowance will cover eating out, trips to the movies, any type of frivolous shopping, and so on. I have had a few people tell me this would be such an easy thing to do. And when I hear this, I doubt that these people could make it any significant amount of time, with a project such as this. The truth is this will not be easy. It WILL be difficult. There will be times when I want to give up...when I want to break, and spend. Yet, I will push through. I feel as though I have to. And this blog will be a documentation of all the things, that this project brings. Every little triumph and pitfall will be written about.
In the year that follows, get ready. You are about to see the inner workings of a compulsive spender, trying his best to reform.
The 365 Dollar Project. It will be a wild ride!
And so, in 10 days, I will OFFICIALLY begin this project, one final time.
My name is Michael Leach. I turned 30 last year, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to do this project in the first place. I examined my life, up until the point of first attempting this project. And, honestly, I did not like what I found. In 30 years, I have really accomplished nothing, that I can say I am happy over. There have been no real 'big deals' in my life. I had wasted my 20's away, and now, I was an adult, with nothing to show for myself. Now, as I attempt this project again, I still feel this way. There is nothing for me to say that I am proud to have done. And I know this project will offer me this. It is time for me to grow up. It is time for me to find something in myself, that I can take pride in. It is time to test myself, in one massively extreme way, and come out victorious.
I am a compulsive spender. Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, I spent money, as though it grows in abundance, on a tree in my yard. I have an addiction to spending money. I am happy when I am spending money (on anything, really), and I rarely think about the financial troubles that I am creating for myself. Money is something that I have a big problem, keeping in my wallet.
In 10 days, this will change. In 10 days, my spending goes on lock-down, and I will be putting myself through a one year crash course, of Money Saving 101. There are 365 days in a year. This project will begin on July 1, 2012, and end on June 30, 2013. And in this year, I will allow myself a grand total of $365.00, to spend on frivolous purchases. I will split this yearly allowance, as follows. I will allow myself a monthly allowance, to match the number of days in said month. For example, in July, I will allow myself a monthly allowance of $31.00. In February, 2013, I will allow myself $28.00. I can use this money however I want. But, once it is gone, it is gone. I will have to wait until the following month to get my allowance. To make it even more interesting, the idea is to save as much of my monthly allowance, as is possible. At the end of each month, I will match whatever amount of my allowance, I have left over. I will then put this in a savings account, which I will not touch until the end of the project. This money that I save, will go toward celebrating the success of this project, when all is said and done.
Of course, there are certain things that I will still NEED to spend on. I will have to pay bills, rent, and get gasoline for my moped, so I can make it to doctor's appointments, and so on. I will also have to buy food. These are needed purchases, and will not be counted in how I spend my monthly allowance. The allowance will cover eating out, trips to the movies, any type of frivolous shopping, and so on. I have had a few people tell me this would be such an easy thing to do. And when I hear this, I doubt that these people could make it any significant amount of time, with a project such as this. The truth is this will not be easy. It WILL be difficult. There will be times when I want to give up...when I want to break, and spend. Yet, I will push through. I feel as though I have to. And this blog will be a documentation of all the things, that this project brings. Every little triumph and pitfall will be written about.
In the year that follows, get ready. You are about to see the inner workings of a compulsive spender, trying his best to reform.
The 365 Dollar Project. It will be a wild ride!