Momspired.

I wanted to share with you all a post that has 'Momspired' me today.  Heather over at Family Friendly Frugality is beginning a new series called 'Make a Change Monday: You Don't Deserve It' and I strongly encourage you all to read it.

I've definitely noticed over the last few years the growth of self-entitlement, even in myself.  Rationalizing why we 'deserve' something, i.e. a brand new car, a new pair of Uggs, food, etc. leads to over-spending.  I know this to be true because I've done it.

To be honest, sometimes I still do it - I usually 'allow' myself one Starbucks trip a week, but some weeks (like last week!), I convince myself that I 'deserve' to have it more than once because I've done such a good job saving money and I had a tough week.  Plus, it's only $6. 

But what's the point in trying to save money on my grocery budget if I'm just gonna blow it all on Starbucks?

Telling ourselves we deserve something often leads to the Onlys.

The Onlys are the worst to be stuck in- I hear it all the time!  It's only $100/month.  If you took that $100/month and put it into savings instead of something you don't really need, you'd have $1200 to pay down debt, pay for an emergency car repair, or even take a nice vacation with your family or your honey next year.

I'm not just challenging you guys to make these changes, I'm challenging myself, too.  We all do, indeed, deserve a nice treat sometimes, but if you've got other bills to be paid, it's important to prioritize.  'Only' adds up.  $10 here, $10 there, and before you know it, your tiny little onlys have become a much greater expense at the end of the month than you'd anticipated.

So, either stop making excuses for spending or stop complaining about being broke.