The past three months, with these money challenges, have been exhausting. I had a reader leave a comment the other day saying that it seems that I think about saving money every hour of every day and I will disagree by saying that I "typically" don't but the past three months I have. When setting myself up for such a limited budget it is not only stressful but also quite time consuming. Planning my shopping takes double, or triple, the amount of time. Deciding plans for the day revolves around figuring out if we have enough money for this or that. It is truly exhausting to have to "think" so much about every little thing. We do live on a small income. We do have to watch our spending and give up several things in order to live within our means. But we have enough leeway in our monthly income that we do not have to watch every little purchase that we make. It lifts a heavy burden off your shoulders to have that little leeway. These months that I did the $1,200 challenge I was stressed to the max. I felt like I spent hours each week figuring out what to spend and where to spend it and how to save. It was like a full-time job just trying to manage my spending to keep it below a certain amount. I truly feel for those families who have to live like that every single day. Who have no leeway to give them a little relief. Experiencing that has given me a new appreciation for those people who truly have to juggle every single penny they spend.
I've been asked if I will be doing another challenge next month. I need to take a break! With homeschooling added to my plate it is close to overflowing and I feel that I just can't handle the stress of another challenge next month. I do see another budget challenge, or another type of challenge, in my future but I do need one month to rest! :) My blog will be back to it's regular scheduled programing of mommyhood, my daily life, and recipes and frugal tips thrown in here or there. Just thinking of my regular schedule is a weight lifted off my shoulders!
There are also many plans for changing the blog around, so please excuse the dust if I do a little remodeling. I'm considering doing away with third party advertising on here and will be marketing some sponsored advertising. If your business or blog would be interested in advertising on the right hand column please e-mail me at babys_mama1 "at" yahoo.com The first month special is a steal!
Lots of changes and exciting things to come as I begin the second year of blogging; be sure to stay tuned! 
I agree that you should take a break if you are feeling worn-out and exhausted. Take care of yourself so you can take care of your family!
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you for wanting a break. I am sure that your post was very helpful to those that do need to live on a strict budget. I used to have to do that and anything and everything I could learn helped me. Can't wait to see what's next!
ReplyDeleteWe all need a break from time to time. Can't wait to see your next challenge when you start posting on it again though.
ReplyDeleteI, too, think it's a good idea for you to take a break if you are feeling overwhelmed by everything right now.
ReplyDeleteSaving money is a "job!" When my husband was out of work for 364 days I thought about saving money every single day. How could I not? Neither of us were working and were trying to stretch out the severance pay, unemployment and our savings to cover our personal and medical expenses so we didn't go into debt or need financial aid (We didn't go into debt and never needed to apply for aid either).
ReplyDeleteSo girl, I don't blame you for taking some time off. We still live carefully and frugally, but we don't live like we lived during that year of no work for hubby. Because we don't have to. If we want to grab a hamburger on the run, we do!
I'll have to come back later and read up on some of that challenge, because I missed some of it due to busy things in my own life. :0)
~ Nan