The Piggy Bank: Saving Before Spending

This little piggy has had a tough week. I brought him home because he was on clearance for $2 at Target and I thought he could help us collect all the spare change in the apartment. Sadie saw him stashed on the ground next to my little work area and decided that he was for riding. And no sooner than I said, "she's fine, I don't think she could actually hurt it..." to Paul, than the pig had a chipped ear and was being whisked upstairs to safety while Sadie tried to scramble after Daddy to bring her new friend back downstairs...

He has a pretty big job, despite his injured ear: I've been squirreling away a dollar here and five dollars there (and tons of quarters and dimes and nickels) to buy non-essential items.

I haven't sworn of using credit altogether. I do use a card to buy all the essential things we need and I pay it off in full every month. I figure since we're buying all these things anyways we might as well get the "cash back bonus" for them. And because the cards are paid off in full each month, there isn't an interest payment.

My last savings goal came home this past week and Paul is downstairs putting it together right now. Here's the picture:

It was 50% off at Big 5 last week ($75), which meant I could use the left over money to buy a new high tech thermometer that takes forehead temperatures (although when I tried to test it out on Sadie she screamed and acted like she'd been attacked... despite the fact that the thermometer doesn't even have to touch her forehead to work...). I am still hopeful that it will at least make temperatures possible when she's asleep.

Saving to buy something does give me a sense of accomplishment when I've finally squirreled away enough to make the purchase. And because it takes so long there isn't a risk the risk of an impulse buy!

Next on the savings list: a spatula, a masher (not sure what that utensil is actually called... maybe that's the right name), a whisk and a blender. The spatula, masher and whisk are at the top of the list. They will make life and baking much easier! The blender is so that I can make Sadie fruit smoothies for breakfast!

And hopefully this bike, once assembled, will help me lose the rest of the baby weight! These days when we go on walks Sadie insists on walking and as a result our pace is very slow and slow just doesn't seem to burn many calories!