Sharing My Savings Plan

Now, before you read and start laughing or making fun of me, keep this in mind....I will be 43 this month and never in my life have I had any type of saving plan.  Yes, I have saved change in a jar a couple of times for something specific (last thing was a couch).  Also each year we save our aluminum cans most all year and cash them in right before the state fair starts for our fair money.

When I started typing in each day from the Investing for the Future calendar by Larry Burkett there were several days where he talked about budgeting in a percentage for certain things.  Looking back those things were: 5% for gifts, ice cream sundaes and so on, 5% for buying clothes, 5% for expenses that can't be anticipated.

Here is how mine started:

10%  offering

5%  savings

3%  family fun

2% clothing

1% Christmas

1% for Jasmine

1% auto maintenance

1% yard sales

When I give to Jasmine, I am requiring 10% of what she gets goes to offering and 10% to savings. She's actually made very wise spending choices with her 80%, things like acne wash, body wash, lotion, bath scrunchie, hair bands, etc.

Now, the 1% for auto was before I bought the van....after buying the van I switched auto to 3% and family fun to 1%.   As you know, the van is down now and needs a new engine, so currently all money I get in paypal from my paid to clicks is being saved towards the engine.

So far I have done very well not touching the savings except what they are intended for.  I hope I can continue to keep that up.  I take that back, I just spent $25 of the savings money to buy a 3 month subscription to the newspaper.  I also did spend out of the savings to buy some incense to re-sell.

There isn't hardly anything in the family fun savings as one night we ordered Pizza Hut delivery and another night we went to Kentucky Fried chicken.  I think this is an important fun as we do need something special on occasion, but thinking back I wish I still had that money we spent.

I've spent a lot of the Christmas savings on different clearance items, but that is what its there for.

I've gone to one yard sale and spent $3 of my savings on an area rug.

We also have spent most of the clothing savings getting Jasmine a new pair of tennis shoes. I get my new shoes next.

I am doing what works for me, and so far it's working.