Kicking the Habit

It is nothing new to know that we as humans are creatures of habit. What we might not know is that our spending is what paves the way for our habits to flourish. We are stuck in our ways and we vouch for them by saying, “This is how I always been and this is how I always will be.” By saying these words and spending that money we are unconsciously setting ourselves up for failure. Your words tell your brain that this habit will never change so you become a slave to your habit using money to fund them; until you hit that wall.

That cigarette you've been smoking has caused breathing problems and now you are dangerously unhealthy. That restaurant and take out food has caused you to be obese and more depressed. The shopping habit has caused you to be in a lot of debt and fearful of opening your bills. These habits are short term feel good remedies that has a significantly negative side effect when things come crashing down.

We need to be in control of our habits and not let them control us. The way we control them is by controlling our spending. Lets say a pack of cigarettes cost $6. If your a pack a day smoker you are wasting over $2,000 a year buying cigarettes. If you spend $7 a day eating out for lunch you are wasting over $1,800 a year. This is money that can be put into better use rather than damaging your body and wallet.

Recommendation:

What is your habit? It could be anything from going out partying to having weekly visits at the movie theaters.  Whatever it is I want you to figure out how much money you spend on the habit. Find out the weekly or monthly cost for your habit then multiply the answer by 52 (the amount of weeks in a year) if your figuring the cost weekly or multiply by 12 if your figuring the cost monthly. The answer you receive will be the yearly amount of money you spend on the habit.

Now think about what you can do if that extra money was in your account. Would you use it to go on vacation, pay off debt, put a down payment on a car? Now find a picture that best represents your dream and paste it onto a shoebox. The shoebox and picture; or what I like to call a Dreambox are there to suppress the habit reminding you of your dream that you want to accomplish with the money from your habit.

Put the money you would be spending on the habit each day, week, or month into the Dreambox. So if your spending $50 a week at the bar take the $50 you would spend if you went and deposit it into the Dreambox each week.

Your new habit will now become saving for your dream. You will soon come to realize those habits do not define who you are and the reward for finding that out is making your dream come true. So I challenge each and everyone of you to think of a habit you would like to kick. Think of the money you would save if the habit was gone. Make a Dreambox and start the journey of building a better you.

Godbless!!