I've always had a guilty conscience about the fact that I drive to work. I've always had the excuse of picking my daughter up from daycare as my crutch for why I don't take the bus that stops a couple blocks from my house and drops me off a 10 minute walk from work TO WORK. But my daycare situation has changed and I don't have to rush to pick the kids up from daycare so I CAN take transit.

Bye-bye Starbucks... no more spending $4/day on Caramel Macchiatos - very enjoyable and very satisfying, but I need the money to pay off my debt. Starbucks goers: three suggestions 1) Register your Starbucks card - you get free syrup/milk options, if you buy a 1 lb.

I am easily led by random temptations all void of focus. As I am too much the marketed consumer of image, the mindlessly willing buyer of sweets and coffees, and I do this in pursuit of some imagined satisfaction I think they will give me. I am the mental slave to the idea of comfort in a coffee cup, and pleasure in a treat.

I am easily led by random temptations all void of focus. As I am too much the marketed consumer of image, the mindlessly willing buyer of sweets and coffees, and I do this in pursuit of some imagined satisfaction I think they will give me. I am the mental slave to the idea of comfort in a coffee cup, and pleasure in a treat.

I've been thinking long and hard about an organization that I'd want $1,000 to go to. Now, in some ways this is just an intellectual exercise for me, because I'm a Vancity employee and therefore ineligible for this contest. But perhaps someone else wants to endorse this organization.

One of the things that's really opened my eyes since starting at Vancity is how money can create change in people's lives. For those in our community who aren't in a position to save, helping them start to build assets is crucial to break cycles of poverty and homelessness.

Update: I have gone from eating out pretty much every day at lunch time to only purchasing lunch once a week or so. Exceptions are lunch meetings where lunch is brought in or paid for. The goal, after all is saving money, not merely to carry food to and from work.

It has made a significant difference to our budgeting. I have gone from spending anywhere from $100 to $200 a month to spending between $25 and $40 a month.