Another New Year, and we’re all talking about our resolutions. In past years, mine have always been significant resolutions. Quit smoking. Lose Christmas weight and more. Get rid of credit card debt. Some I’ve achieved, but most I haven’t. So this year I’m championing a new cause- the Small Change Resolution.
The Small Change Resolution is simple. It suggests that, instead of aiming for a big change, why not try and achieve a small one that you must do every day for 365 days? The end result can be significant, but the process by which you achieve it is extremely simple. Here are some ideas for small change resolutions.
A Coffee A Day
For one year, cut down on a coffee a day. If you have two, dial it back to one. If you usually head out just once a day, then bring coffee from home. Asked for a meeting in a cafe? Suggest moving it to your office. Meeting up with friends? Change the location to the park. Yearly Savings: $1278
No Spend Before 12pm
Perhaps No Spend months aren’t for you. But how about a pledge to not spend before lunchtime for 365 days? This means no early morning coffees, having breakfast at home with friends, resisting the urge to skip breakfast and pick something up on the way. This also includes shopping, online purchases, the quick nip into the supermarket. It brings in a consciousness to how we spend, including a higher level of spending organisation. Yearly savings: $500- 1000
No Online Music Or Videos
An increasingly drain on our monthly incomes, for 365 days, commit to using what you already have. Listen to the CDs you own, watch the DVDs that are already in the cupboard. It could encourage you to swap with friends, or join the local library to use their collections. It may also encourage you to determine an online budget for when the 365 days are elapsed. Yearly Savings- $300- 500
No ‘Bought’ Food At Work
Once you leave the office, your food options are your own. But for one year, every thing you eat and drink at work comes from home or is part of the office kitchen. No bought food means no bought lunches, no coffee runs, no one heading out to pick up some soft drinks. What you bring with you every morning is all you will consume. Sounds hard? Perhaps it is but the yearly savings could amount to $3000 or more.
New Clothes Once A Month
Clothes emergencies are less common than I think they are. I don’t need a new pair of jeans because the others look worn. I don’t need a couple of summer dresses bought because the weather has turned warm. I have all those things already in my closet. For one year, commit to only buying new clothes once a month. Make a list of everything you need throughout the month. Review it before you head out. Perhaps you don’t need some of those things after all. Either way, you’re armed with a shopping list and can restrict your spending to the items on it. Yearly savings- $1000+