Changing Discretionary habit

These are meant to be immediate and easy to do. No hard work involved. Easy habit changing activities.

1. Agree that the card is not for casual spending. Go on. Agree. The card is for special purposes. Like a major repair. Or blowing up the car.

2. Agree to a couple of discretionary changing activities.

The first activity that actually works is what we used to teach our children and forgot to teach ourselves. I would appreciate it if you go and buy a silly little coin box. I’ve got one…and all you have to do is… at the end of every week (say a Friday night) put every spare coin you found lying around, in your purse, car, wallet, bag… in to that stupid little coin box. And leave it there. Don’t even think about it until it builds enough to cover the casual discretionary spending a few times over. It doesn’t matter if it takes a few weeks or a few months or even a year. It matters that you do it. It’s IN, not OUT. Not in out in out (this isn’t sex you know.)

Here’s my coin box… see, I am actually doing what I preach…


How did this go for me? Well, it became habit forming. Humans are habit forming beasts. Every Friday I would put at least one coin in the box. And you know what, it was a good feeling.

When did I last raid it? Well, when saving for a long planned family holiday, the week prior, I actually changed it for holiday spending and had accumulated a healthy amount just over $100. But I had built it up like over many months and had used it for emergencies twice as well.

I’ve just started re-using this. Let’s to this together.