One of my friends started figuring out how she can “earn” things she wants to buy by doing projects and things around the house. I think that might be a good idea for me as well, since it can be hard sometimes to justify buying what we want/need when on a budget with minimal income not already bookmarked to bills and groceries.

So here is a list of things I have been wanting/needing for a while but which don’t feel like “necessities” so I haven’t bought them yet, as well as ideas about what I can do or have done to earn them. I may not be able to put this into practice until my next paycheck, but that’s okay, too. Especially because my birthday is next week and you never know!

 

Things I want:

– a cute lunchbox to take to work so I can stop using the WholeFoods bag with the handles that are about worn through

– a pillow chair so I can be on the computer in bed and not hurt my back**

– a yoga ball to sit on at work instead of a chair

– a new body pillow since mine is flat

– a tablet so I can surf the Internet not on my laptop and save that for other things since it’s getting old

– a cardigan shrug to wear with my sleeveless tops to work

– my own set of tapers to gauge my ears

– a used bicycle (???)

– glass pyrex containers to use instead of plastic

 

What to Do (for pillow chair):

– unpacking all my kitchen things and organizing my new kitchen – check

– unpacking bathroom and organizing – check

– buying and painting my new bookshelf – check

– calling Allstate to get claim update – check

– make appt to get car looked at – check

-writing and publishing my first article for new project

Things for future lists:

– writing short story for writing contest

– mail car registration renewal (for Sept.) and voter registration

– getting the rest of my stuff unpacked and put in its respective homes and thereby out of the living room – sheets/towels, books, misc – put up kitch-y things and photos

– finding someone to till the other garden bed so I can plant fall veggies

– buying the plywood and nails and installing that on the back of my bookshelf to reinforce

– sewing a green dress with the fabric I bought to do so – have to decide what pattern

– turning an item from a gift exchange that I think used to be a dress back into one with ribbon straps

– putting elastic in the waist of another free skirt and patching some holes

– getting clothes that don’t fit me well or I can’t wear together to donate to the next exchange

I may also have to get the clutch or whatever else on my car checked (the problem I’m having could be anything), so who knows how funds will be, but I can buy things as I can afford them after I’ve earned them, too.

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Edit, based on what my friend who I got the idea from says she does…. will update accordingly soon….

I make sure my list includes a)something I’ve done within the last few days so I have something I can cross off already b)something I’m absolutely dreading doing c)several easy things I know I can get some momentum by accomplishing d)then several more things…those last several somethings are where I work in the “easy”, “moderate”, or “difficult” tag depending on how big a reward I’m allowing myself to get…….. Basically I ask myself how much I want the reward and how much it costs, then I make myself do enough that I’ll feel like I’ve earned it when I have, say, two more things left…this will get me through whichever are the two or three hardest things I put off until the end, because darn it, I’ve earned that reward and now these things are all that stand between me and it!

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