And I meet my first big challenge....

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
And I meet my first big challenge....
1
Fri, 02-03-2006 - 12:13pm

Well, today is my first big challenge on this new financial lifestyle. I'm hoping posting here will keep me on the straight and narrow. Here's the scoop...

I am going on a snowshoeing trip tomorrow. It's a trip through my mountain club with folks with a lot more experience and there is a certain faux pax in this group about not having the 'right' equipment. I have most everything I 'need' but I have a few items that I would really be better off if I had them (some way to insulate my water bottles because they've frozen the last 2 weeks I've been out...I got them open but if I couldn't I would have to rely on others on the trip to support my water needs...not a good thing at all, glove liners that allow me to take off the unwieldy gloves I wear so I can eat more easily on the trail and not run out of energy like I did last week and lastly a neck gaiter because my lips and mouth got so cold last week I couldn't talk right). I can probably get it all for about $50 and it will be $50 bucks well spent if I avoid any problems on a trip but I don't really have $50 extra bucks in my spending money this paycycle.

So I was sitting here justifying why I should just tack that "little bit" onto my 0% interest card or on the card that I have a little tiny balance on and could avoid paying any interest on the purchase and realized this is how I got myself in this boat.
I lost about 30 lbs a couple of years ago making good, better, best choices around foods that weren't what I needed. Now I'm going to try and do the same with financial things.
So I am committing to myself and to you guys that if I decide to do it, I will:

Good: Loan myself the money from my eFund and NOT use a credit card.
Better: Spend some of the cash I am hoarding for the next few weeks but that cash is giving me the breathing room I was struggling to maintain
Best: Skip some or all of the purchases (I think the water insulation is a must but I will decide about the others)

Thanks for listening!

Peg

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-25-2003
Fri, 02-03-2006 - 1:58pm

Hey...

I know what you mean about equipment on these trips. DH and I have gone on camping trips up the mountains, and even in the spring, it's freezing up there.

One suggestion I had is: is anyone in your club not going? Because maybe you could borrow the water insulator. You might eventually need to get one of your own, but at least that would put off the expense for awhile longer. I don't know what a neck gaiter is, so I don't know if that is borrowable.

Otherwise, I vote for borrowing from your efund/taking some cash from the next few weeks and going as frugally as you can. Not keeping yourself warm and hydrated is risky to your health.

Have a great trip!