By Mary B
This time of year money seems to go out way faster than it comes in. You are more tired than usual because you are torn making sure you have all the right presents for the right people, and you have to make sure you have enough sweet potatoes and stuffing for all the appropriate relatives. Your dreams of the cleaning and cooking fairy miraculously appearing at your door seem to be more and more frequent.
The answer to your stress could be a specialty coffee (which everyone including McDonalds now seem to have), a nice glass of wine with friends or a decadent cupcake from your favorite bakery. But how do you justify spending this extra money when it is so much tighter now, than even two months ago?
The money jar, that’s how.
In my car, as well as in our home, we have two money jars. The one in our car fits nicely in a cup holder and in its previous life was an anti-bacterial wipes canister. Every time I get change back from the grocery store or even a necessary trip through the drive through or the gas station, I put change in this jar. It’s amazing how fast it adds up!
In our home we have an old water bottle a neighbor 10 years ago gave me. All the change I find in the laundry, as well as in various places throughout the house, goes here. I even put the occasional $1 and $5 bills I find in my husband’s pants in this jar. Like the money in the car, this becomes a pretty nice healthy chunk of change.
I don’t feel so guilty spending $4 on coffee or $10 on a bottle of wine when I pull from these kitties. Coffee and wine are my weakness, but think of what yours are and enjoy using this money. Every little stress reliever we can find during the holidays goes a long way to making the season cheery and bright!
