Challenge Check-In

So as I said earlier, I've been working my way through the 52 Week Challenge.  If you have already started the challenge, or if you're still mulling it over, I hope you let this little check-in serve as an inspiration, motivation, or whatever it is you need to take the next step with it.

I have to say, I really love the feeling of saving this way.  Typically, I "save" by depositing a portion of my check directly into my savings account, and I never see the money, which is probably what the majority of people do.  We are not the generation of hiding money under the mattress or burying it in cans in the backyard, but for the Challenge, my "challenge buddy" Ellie and I both decided to keep the money in secret places in our homes - there is something so satisfying about being able to pull out that wad of cash and count it!

I am just past the 40-week mark, and that's stretching my budget tight.  Through a series of unfortunate events, I'm still working part-time at minimum-wage.  The chunk of my check the Challenge takes up can be daunting, especially when I am staring down needing to replace my laptop, get new tires on my car, and just subsist.  At just about three months to go, I'm finding inspiration in what the Challenge will accomplish for me.

When I'm done, I'm breaking my $1,378 into three equal parts:

1. $459.33 to pay for being in, traveling to, and gifts for my best friend's wedding this summer (with coupons, sales, and ride-sharing, this should pretty much cover everything I need for the wedding).
2. $459.33 into my "love fund" for the next time my long-distance guy and I are in the same zip code (more than enough to cover a hotel).
3. $459.33 to use as a bonus loan payment, which will get me about six months ahead on one of my loans (because I'll use it as a lump sum rather than breaking it up among my loans).

Just stick with it!  The Challenge is going to take so many burdens off my mind, and I hope it does the same for you.