Single-Step Personal Finance Challenge
One of my fellow College Money Network members, Laura at Green Panda Treehouse, tagged me and the other CMNs recently with the First-Step Personal-Finance Challenge.
Originally started by Mrs. Micah, this challenge is simple: Find one step you can take to make your financial system better or more organized.
I’ve been thinking about it, trying to decide which areas of my financial system need to be updated. There’s giving, which I overbudget for so I can live the principles I believe in, but which I sometimes struggle with and haven’t come to a conclusion over; there’s saving, which is mainly focused on my steady stream to the ER fund and continued investment in my down-payment fund; and, last, there’s spending, which I could always cut more on, honestly.
Of those three, the one that seems to have the most tangible goal-setting potential is spending.
I’ve tried specific spending challenges before: only spend XX on eating out this month, etc. The point of this challenge seems to be what all my other goals were lacking: it’s something small.
So my single step: I can only order out food once next week at work.
What about you? Wanna take the challenge?


July 19th, 2008 at 6:45 am
That’s a great step to take. Small steps work much better for me.
July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
[...] Writer’s Wallet has been trying to cut down on her food spending, so she’s committed to ordering food at work no more than once a week. Small steps can make a big impact in your [...]
July 19th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
no step for myself, just an idea I thought you’d like:
find three like-minded frugal friends and resolve to get together at least 4 times over the next 6 months and make an evening of going to a free event or free attraction in the city.
July 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
OOOh, FGS, I love it! Only problem is I can’t think of one real-life frugally minded friend. Hmmn.. I’ll have to think on that one.
Maybe I could talk someone into it!
July 20th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I love FGS’s idea as well! Unfortunately, I also have almost no frugally minded friends except the boyfriend, and I spend enough time with him as it is! Here’s to hoping I can find entertaining free activities to trick my money-blowing friends into doing with me =D
July 25th, 2008 at 6:15 am
[...] blogging buddy FGS issued me a great challenge last week, in response to my mentioning the Single-Step Personal Finance Challenge: Get some friends together to do routine, free nights together. Here’s the recap of week [...]