Dawn's Evolution

Entered in the 164th Festival of Frugality
I broke my foot in December, December 31st to be exact. Yep I rang in the New Year with a painfully swollen foot. I got a fiberglass a few days later and suffered the teasing of my classmates, family members and coworkers, who thought the way I walked was ultra funny. Yep, I need new friends, humpf!

And of course when they heard how exactly I had broken my foot, I never heard the end of it.
I really need new friends, any offers?

Well with my foot in a cast and in pain I was forced to spend 4+ weeks off my feet. I went to work in my car, sat in my office all day, got home and sat or lay on my bed all day.
This meant: no shopping! Yep I was on an unexpected and hated shopping strike!
So, no visiting the city, no new clothes, no new shoes and no getting pampered. Yep very, very boring.

But also very frugal. I saved a whole lot of money in those four weeks.
It was nice staying well within my set budget, and made me fully aware of my addiction too (window) shopping.
But those 4 weeks were frustrating because I felt so trapped, I could not go where I wanted to, walk freely and when I had my cravings for sweets (which I often do) I could not go out and buy them.
So I was on a forced and unnecessary diet as well.

What did I spend money on?
Well if you must know (hehe) : my mobile phone (I needed minutes so I could whine to my friends about my pain), getting my crutches (hate them, they hurt my arms), occasional food and some small miscellaneous stuff that I needed.

All in all this experience taught me that I NEED to at least window shop to keep from going crazy(or crazier).
What about you, how long could you last on a shopping strike?

I realised after a lot of soul searching and analyzing my spending that the main thing that can keep me from reaching my financial goals is my need to take care of my family.
I want to take care of my mother, so I spend money on things I think she needs but does not buy for herself.
I want to take care of my mother, so I spend money on things my sisters need and want that my mom can not afford.
I want to take care of my mother, so I spend money on things she wants but does not buy for herself.
I want to take care of my mother so I try to relieve her financial burden all the while stagnating my own financial growth.

This is the big thing that can put me in debt. The big eye opener for me was when I decided that I wanted to buy my own car. I knew which car I wanted and I knew the approximate cost but the thing that was holding me back was my mom.

She didn't want me to get my own car yet as she thinks I am too young. In my mind I listed the reasons I did not need to buy a car now and they all revolved around my mom.
If I buy a car now, I will have less money to spend on my mom.
If I buy a car now, I will have less money to help out my mom and sisters.

And I know I need to step away from this caretaker or gravedigger mentality. My mom is a grown up, she's made a few bad financial choices in her life and is now paying for it but that is her burden not mine.
I am in the process of making the same mistakes that she made when she started working. She tried to do more than she could. She tried to lighten the load for her mom, she had to buy all the things she had been deprived of when she was younger. She had to give her daughters all the things her mother had never been able to give her as a child. And now she can not give us anything. I do not want to end up like that, I need to start putting my own needs first.
So this year is going to be about me.

The year is drawing to a close yet again, time to plan for the next year and to reflect on the past 11 months. Sitting down and thinking back to where I was this time last year, my frame of mind at that point, all the things that I had set out to do and all the things that I have actually done. It really makes me look forward to a new and exciting year but it also depresses me just a bit.

I have learned so much over the course of the year and have grown so much as well. I have actively pursued the development of new skills and I have also allowed myself to develop a few unwanted and unneeded skills.*sigh*

So what did I do this year?

1. I learned the value of good boss and manager,
2. I learned to stay away from hateful and spiteful people,
3. I saved enough cash to pay my tuition and buy the new school books I needed
4. I got enough credit points to qualify for this year’s classes,
5. I finally joined a public service club(been planning this for so long),
6. I bought my own laptop (still paying for it lol),
7. I learned to reach out and ask for help when I need it,
8. I learned to recognize when I needed help,
9. I am learning that I cannot save the ones I love if they do not want to be saved,
10. I learned that there are people out there who want to help me,
11. I learned to ask for what I wanted,
12. I learned to go after what I wanted,
13. I got experience in negotiating the price of my work,
14. I got a few new mentors in my life,
15. I finally (from firsthand experience) learned why some people succeed and others do not,
16. And so much more.

It was a hectic and stressful year; I remember my super emotional moments, the highs and the lows. I’m glad it’s almost over and though I have some regrets I am happy with the lessons I have learned.

This time last year I was so afraid of losing my job (didn’t lose it) and so scared of what my year would be like if I ended up unemployed.

And now 11 months later:
· I have left that employer on my own accord,
· I have a new job,
· a higher salary,
· nicer and more optimistic coworkers,
· a shorter ride to work and
· of course new tasks and more responsibilities.

It’s a new beginning for me, it’s scary but I believe that if one wants to be successful one must step out of one’s comfort zone and dare to do more. I know what the consequences are if I fail but I have hope that everything will be all right. I know what the benefits are when I succeed and I have planned accordingly.


Goodbye 2008, thanks for the memories, the lessons and life.

I recently read an article that made me realize that my strategy for setting goals was all wrong. I was looking at it from entirely the wrong angle.

From the article I read I learned that the most important step a person should taken when setting (financial) goals is to ask his/herself :

What will make me happy?

· Traveling the world

· Seeing more of my country

· Owning my own home

· Not worrying about cash when I’m older

· Having enough cash to feel secure in times of economic crisis

How can I achieve all of these things?

· Saving money for the future

· Setting up an emergency fund

· Investing money for the future

· Earning a certain amount of income

How can I get the money I need?

· Earn enough money to cover expenses while still being able to put enough away

How can I earn enough?

· Increase my income

How can I increase my income?

· Focusing on career advancement

· Creating multiple streams of income

How can I do this?

· Furthering my education

· Learning new skills

· Hard work, accepting more responsibility and becoming a valued employee in my place of work

So those are my basic goals; everything I do should increase my quality of life. The goals at the top are the most important, because is nothing but the pursuit of happiness.

One of the most important things that personal finance blog taught me was to change my way of thinking from:” Spend less than you earn” to “Earn more than you spend”.

So in order for me to achieve that ultimate goal of happiness and serenity I will not deprive myself by sticking to a strict budget but strive to earn more to increase the amount I am able to put into saving.

Hi, I'm Dawn.

I have been reading blogs and collecting tips for a few years now. I always planned to start a blog of my own, but for some reason I never got around to it, until now.
This blog will chronicle my evolution into a financially independent, business savvy, articulate and assertive young woman.

I've had a few rough years behind me and I refuse to let it get me down. This is a new beginning, a new day and I am ready for a change.

Wanna join me?