I talked to two people this week who mentioned that they were tired of being nickel and dimed. This reminded me of a life coaching client I had years ago.
This hard-working mother of four children felt shame that she couldn’t give her children more. So we poured over her budget and I learned that every night she was buying fast food for dinner.
Clearly she was nickel and diming her money away. And the habit was costly in other ways. She was overweight and two of her children also were getting chubby. Easy fix, right? Tell the mother to stop the nightly drive-thru runs. But she worked long hours and coming home to cook – her least favorite thing to do –wasn’t likely something she would stick with very long.
Instead, we returned to the issue of what she wanted her money to do for her: provide more for her children. I asked if she had millions of dollars what would she do for her kids. With no hesitation she answered, “Take them to Disneyland.”
I suggested she call a family meeting and ask her kids if they had a choice between Disneyland and eating fast food every night which they would choose. They chose Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, which meant that everyone, including the 4-year-old, was responsible for saving for it.
Each family member, including her husband, was responsible for cooking one dinner a week. You realize for the two younger kids, that meant many nights of cooking peanut butter and jelly and macaroni and cheese.
Whatever was leftover from their food budget that week was put in a piggy bank until they had what they needed.
Eight months later, the family went to Disneyland.
Here’s Some of the Benefits of Going for Their Dream…
Everyone in the family…
- Learned how to budget and save for what they wanted.
- Worked as a team.
- Bonded with each other over a common goal.
- Learned how to accept responsibility.
- Ate healthier and avoided gaining more weight.
- Built their self-esteem.
- Realized dreams can come true.
So often we put ourselves on auto pilot and drain our money bit by bit. Yet, if we would go for our dreams, we would benefit on so many levels.
If you have problems spending small amounts and want help, contact Vickie Champion for a complimentary life coaching and consulting session.