Amanda Barroso

So I can't control grocery prices.

I can't control insurance premiums.

I can't control the dang property taxes that are driving up my mortgage every year, but.

Oh my God.

There are some things that I can control choices that I can be more conscious about making like my spending.

So that's where I think these financial challenges are helpful because you can kind of set the rules.

You can,

tailor them to the goals of you or your family.

You can make them as long or as short as you want.

And on my corner of the internet, which I'm sure is highly curated, but it does seem like a lot of folks are thinking about their consumption again, beginning of the year stuff.

But, you know, I think there's a real sort of momentum going about people trying to make changes that reflect their values and their goals.

For me, at least, it's super important to know what I want to get out of this.

you might just want to see if you can do it, sort of like a test of willpower.

And I think there is a little bit of that for me, but if your short-term challenge is tied to a longer-term goal, you should get clear on that ahead of time, like have a plan for how to transition from the challenge piece, like back to real life, how to make this sustainable,

I also think it's important to figure out what you want to do with the money that you're saving during the challenge, because that can be really motivating.

So don't just let it sit in your savings, collecting like a penny of interest per month in those pitiful checking accounts.

Let it be tied to some goal toward building financial stability, toward an emergency fund, something that was maybe giving you anxiety in the previous year.

How can this money serve you and kind of help erase some of those things?

Listen, how good will you feel January, 2027, knowing that you cash flowed your birthday, that you absolutely good December, you open up that sinking fund and you have X amount of dollars and you know,

You treat yourself heavily.