by Hope
You’ve probably noticed a trend in my posts. A lot of reflection and looking back. But one thing has not changed. The best way for me to save money ie have more to pay toward debt, is to stay home!
The difference between then and now…is that I have a home that is MINE! And one that I have transformed over the past year into a place I love. Now that the weather is turning, I am spending hours upon hours out on the deck. It is shaded in the morning and shaded in the afternoons. I drink my first 16 oz. of water daily there as the dogs greet the day.
And many mornings, I’ll pull my laptop out there and enjoy the cooler air.
And then, of course, it’s a great spot to eat dinner or jump in the hot tub at the end of the day. I guess, all this to say, that I think having a place you love to be directly correlates to the money you are tempted to spend to escape the “hard” in life. And I am so grateful to have this space that I love.
When I was speaking to my fiance today, I told him I was planning to find a good book and spend the whole weekend at home. There is something so freeing about that. No pressure to plan, to entertain or really even to feed anyone. (Gymnast typically works at his serving job all weekend.) How come it took me so long to get to this place? To become satisfied with exactly where I am.
With this quiet season of life, I am going to take advantage of the money savings of just staying home! And see how that translates to savings and debt payments.
By the way, is there such a thing as a no spend quarter? I am thinking that would be a good way to kick off 2023. I wonder what that would look like. Love to know your thoughts.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
So, what do you think ?