Thursday, November 01, 2007

Just do it. Then do it again.

This week, I've been on a little campaign of financial virtue. Well, okay, I actually spent some money on clothes and a new bag, but in other ways I've been good.
For four nights in a row now, I've cooked dinner at home. I also brought lunch from home every day I went to work. (There was a day I would have had to buy something but I ended up calling in sick.) As I write this, I'm prepared with enough groceries in the fridge to keep cooking for another 3 or 4 nights.
I also started off the week well by going to the gym, though having a cold prevented me from keeping that up. I'm determined to get back to it soon but it's frustrating to feel like I barely got going.
The point here is that just doing something, and then doing it again, and another time after that, can be very satisfying, and every time you do it, it becomes a little easier. It starts to become a habit. You start to wrap your brain about how to do it again. This can apply to exercise habits, eating habits and financial habits.
Am I going to stop eating out and ordering takeout forever? No, of course not. And there will be plenty of other choices I make where I spend money, perhaps more than I should, just because I want to. But that is what makes it all the more important to grab all these little times when I can save money. If I have that brief wavering moment and choose to go to the grocery store rather than to a restaurant, every time I make that choice it's money I've put in the bank. Money I can use later for something that matters more to me than the few extra minutes it will take me to cook a meal.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go, Madame X, go! You are absolutely right that every day you do something, it comes closer and closer to being your regular habit. You'll have fun cooking, you'll save money, you might eat healthier, and you'll feel virtuous, which is a good in itself. Also, when you do eat out, it will be a much more special event, and I'm all in favor of having as many special events as possible. So go, Madame X, go!

SheGazelle said...

I certainly needed to read this post today! The habit I need to re-form is bringing lunch to work EVERY SINGLE DAY- without a restaurant break in between. I have a love for good food and also for not cooking.
Thanks for the reminder of how good it feels to form good habits!

frugal zeitgeist said...

You're singing my song. I eat out a couple of times a month; otherwise, I cook at home and bring breakfast and lunch to work. It has put me a LONG way closer to paying off my mortgage next year!