*This is the 25th day of the One Month Spending Freeze Challenge. Please click here to see all of the posts in this series.*
You’re in the final stretch of the spending freeze challenge. Just 7 more days.
For me and my family it’s not the end. We still have to produce a more steady stream of income from my husband’s business as well as my own. We will continue with our spending freeze for who knows how long.
If I could see an end to my own spending freeze and know the exact date we could start spending money again, I don’t think it would make much of a difference. At this point, I am not itching to spend money. Yes, of course there are things that I wish I could buy or do with money, but I am pretty content with life as it is.
What Is Your Money Motivator?
This will be the last Journal Day for the Spending Freeze Challenge, and I would like you to think long and hard about your real reason for money. There is usually a deeper reason behind why people want more money.
I can think of several reasons (good and bad) why people desire more money:
- To impress others with all the nice things they have
- To make sure their family is safe and has everything they need
- Because they grew up poor and it really made an impact on them so they want to make sure that they CAN spend money
- They are depressed and need an outlet, so they spend their money
- They want to be comfortable and never want for anything
- They want to live somewhere with good people, schools, and houses
You probably have your own reason for why you either want more money or why you want to spend money. Write it down. Does it align with your overall goals in life? Does it fall in line with your values?
If not, you might want to consider putting a new reason down for why you want money. Don’t go to work 40 hours a week just to realize that you are working for the wrong reasons.
In many cases, you can get what you desire without much money at all.
For example, a lot of people would probably say their money motivator is happiness. They want more money to be happier. Well, unfortunately, that is not a great reason to want more money because it’s been proven time and time again that more money actually does not make you happier. You might feel more secure or less stressed, but it does not lead to happiness. People who want more happiness should be seeking for something different, and that something will likely not cost anything.
Making more money will likely not change your life if you are seeking for something that can be found for free, such as time, happiness, or love. Don’t fall for the trap that says more money will lead to a better life. Create your own life and use money to your advantage, but not as your sole motivator.
Why do you desire more money in your life?
[…] I believe it is imperative that couples sit down together to come up with concrete goals in order to avoid a lot of conflict that may arise over money. You both need to know why you actually want money. […]