I turned 29 this month, and though just a regular day in many respects, it was also a time for me to pause and take a look at my life thus far. Obviously for the main reason that 30 is coming! I am not one of those people to dread getting older. I truly believe it is a gift, and am very grateful for the life I have lived thus far. I have loved and been loved, developed a support system that is strong, lived on my own, moved far from home, built a career that I am excited about and proud of, had many adventures and unforgettable memories...the list goes on. I am proud of my life.
Except a few things...
There are aspects of my life that I think are holding me back from the fullest potential I have. I think we all have pieces of ourselves that we want to improve upon, and I also believe that it is a lifelong journey that we embark upon. Regardless, the act of working toward these goals I have and then accomplishing those goals, would mean so much to me. It would prove to me, and the rest of the world, that who I am on the inside matches who I am on the outside.
My two main goals involve weight loss and financial wellness (ie debt and savings). I have talked about weight loss in different iterations on this blog (as I have had this blog inconsistently since 2013) and have lost and gained quite a bit. Financial wellness has never been an issue until a couple years ago, when I came face to face with what I owe (but still ignored it). I have completely come to terms with the fact that both of these issues are no longer remedial, put-a-band-aid-on-it, attribute to being young and dumb, and sweep-under-the-rug-problems. The fact is, being probably 50 or so pounds overweight and carrying a pile of debt is going to hurt me in the long run in a more external fashion, than just dealing with shame in the dressing room, or paying a minimum that will never make a difference. Being obese will impact my long term health and longevity, my joints, my ability to do active things well into old age- not to mention possibly cause diabetes, heart problems, high blood pressure and even cancer. Being in debt feels like being shackled up (much like being overweight) but keeps me from the freedom to make certain decisions like buying a house or car with ease- it also make emergencies (like my car being caught in a flash flood and totaled) way more scary. Both of these issues can tie together, in making the problems worse (being obese is more expensive) BUT can also tie together in reaching a solution faster. Enter the YONS...
What is the YONS?? A cool new acronym the kids are saying? Not quite. YONS stands for Year Of No Spend. Inspired by the "Spending Fast" that Anna Newell Jones of AndThenWeSaved.com writes about in her book The Spender's Guide to Debt Free Living, it is exactly what it sounds like- a year of zero discretionary spending, for the purpose of overcoming mountains of debt (or saving a ton of money, whatever you may need). I had been wandering around the debt free community, aimlessly for months, and stumbled upon Anna's book. I checked it out from the library and was immediately inspired. No consolidation loans, no recommendations to declare bankruptcy. Just seriously cutting back, on everything.
So, I followed the steps, (which you can too!), figured out the crazy amount I had been spending on discretionary crap (bars and Starbucks - I'm looking at you), and once I saw that number and multiplied by 12...I was sold. A year to pay off a majority of my debt??! A year to be incredibly mindful, disciplined, and laser focused? ONE YEAR to be free. One year, out of my 30 years of life, to get to a place of less shame and worry. When you put it that way, it just doesn't seem so bad. So I made a list of my needs and wants, and decided that July 1, 2018 was going to be DAY ONE of the YONS.
It might sound crazy. Impossible. Scary. But so is debt holding me back from my dreams. When I think about the possibilities beyond this year, I get so excited. In a year or so, I will be able to buy a house if I want, travel more frequently (using cash!) save much more (towards said house and the repairs it will need) and deal with emergencies and unexpected issues with comfort. I will also learn so much about what I actually need and want, and how to squeeze every ounce out of the money I spend. I know I can do this, because I was raised by a frugal and creative lady!
So how does this impact my weight loss? The main way is that I won't be eating out, or drinking at bars/breweries for a year. I will be pushed to think outside of the box for activities with my friends that are free. When I cook at home and shop for groceries I am pretty healthy, so it can only help!
I am going to maintain this blog to track my progress, share tips, trials and triumphs, and hopefully be a source of support and inspiration for others looking to be debt free. In the future I am going to post about what I defined as my needs and wants, my socializing strategies, money saving tips I find, my progress every month, special accomplishments (certain things getting paid off for example) and admit when I screw up. I am also going to post about my weight loss as well, but not as much.
June Results:
This past month I did a sort of "test run" (didn't go cold turkey) and saved approximately $700! Knowing that I accomplished that, and still could have cut much more, shows me how amazing this process will be! Thank you for following along!
