Beginnings...

For the past month, I have been thinking a lot about how much money I waste.

Okay, that might be dramatic, but let me explain.

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to go down to Peru, where I spent ten days volunteering and helping to build an orphanage. To say that the experience was eye-opening is an understatement. These children, happy as can be, had nothing - not even a biological family. Yet they were happy.

There were somewhere between 40-50 children, from the age of 4 years up to 16 years, living in that orphanage.

As I was sorting through donations one of the days that we were there, we had a list of children, and were to determine what each child was to get for Christmas. These Christmases are much different than the Christmas's I grew up with. Instead of new toys and tons of new clothes, Each child received one, maybe two sets of clothing, much of it gently used. It was common to see these children wearing only two different outfits the entire week that we were there.

I came back from that experience very aware of everything that I had. This is when I decided I would no longer use credit cards, and I put them in a drawer, never to be used again.

For the past two years, I have been trying to make small changes here or there, but I've never paid much more than the minimum on my credit card balances, and I definitely still have an affinity for spending money.

This past month, I have read an amazing book called Live Your Life for Half the Price, by the Shamos. It has changed my outlook on money, and it is a must read for anyone who feels that they are living paycheck to paycheck, like I have been. It is the inspiration for this experiment that I am about to undergo.

For the next 365 days (beginning August 1st, 2010, ending July 31st, 2011), I will embark on a journey that I am hoping will change my outlook and some serious character flaws that I have been wanting to work on for a while.

What I hope to gain:
- A renewed appreciation for life
- A renewed appreciation for money
- The knowledge that I can live on a very strict budget honestly
- Getting rid of the "I need this now" syndrome
- Patience
- Charity
- Learning to rely on my sewing machine more for clothing repairs
- Learning to do a variety of other things

How I will do this:
- I will live on only essentials for a year.
*No eating out (currently eating out around four times a week)
*No clothing purchase for a whole year - there may be an exception here or there, but it will be one or two items, max
*No extra purchases that I absolutely do not need.
- I will look for free things to do
- I will coupon clip
- I will make gifts over buying them
- I will be grateful with what I do have
- If I am grocery shopping, I will hold an item in my hand for at least 10 seconds after I ask the question "Do I need this?"

I am sure that this project will change, but this is a great start for me. I will chronicle my experiences daily. I will be very honest, because I do not expect this to be easy. My mom thinks I am crazy. My boyfriend supports me whole heartedly.

I make no promises that I can go the full 365 days. I plan on doing it, and I will not give up easily. I am not doing this for anyone but myself, because I feel that I need to prove to myself that I am not defined by "things". I really hope that I am right.