Save, and Save, and Save!

Every short-term goal I (or anyone else for that matter) have has always, and will always, require money. The ones which are most important to me require LOTS of money actually. So the skill I have found to be the most helpful and the VERY best one to have, is my ability to save. Without this, my goals would always remain just dreams.

Saving has never been to hard for me. I unconsciously do it even if I don't have a goal to work towards. In fact, if I do not have something to save for I sorta go crazy. Which is the reason for my constant short-term goals.

However, even for me, it is sometimes difficult to say "sorry, I can't afford to go to the movies today" or "can we do something that doesn't cost money?" especially when it is your family you are saying this to and they know very well that you have $3000 in the bank. Personally, I think anyone in the world could save their money very well if there was not the peer pressure to spend it. In my case it was kind of extreme, with my sisters constantly mocking me for being such a "miser". For everyone else it is a more subtle kind of peer pressure, a simple "hey would you like to go out for sushi" from the boy/girl you like is quite similar to a nuclear bomb being dropped on whatever small incentive you had to save that $40 or so. Even simple fast food can add up, if you purchased McDonald's with your friends every time they go out so that you won't be the only one without food, then even though there may be a dollar menu you are pretty much just eating your money.

I have found that the best way to save my money is to set aside a certain amount of money each month that can be spending money and hide it somewhere in my room (the rest I put in a difficult to access Bank account). For example, right now, I am saving every penny from my paychecks for Japan (because i need $2000 before February) however, at Subway where I work we have a tip jar. On a good day I make about $2. Every tip I earn (no matter how small) comes home with me and goes in my special jar. If there is something expensive that I am DYING to do, then I save up my tip money for it. Not only does this prevent me from spending more than I want to out of my paycheck, but it also helps me appreciate every activity I do. For if I have to work 1 whole month just to earn $20 I am NOT inclined to waste it on something unimportant such as fast food.

The First Few Steps

Of course the very first step in going to a foreign country was to find a program/school. Using simple elimination I began searching for the perfect school for me. I quickly ruled out anything that was less than 6 weeks long because I wanted to be in Japan for as long as possible! Next I decided that I did not want to stay in some dormitory while there, I wanted to live with a host family for sure, and a couple more were eliminated. Then, my mother (god bless her she is such a good support!) found the perfect school!

This program was privately run by the school I would be attending, and would host me for either 4 months, or 1 year. Obviously I jumped at the 4 month program because, as I would have to earn all the money myself in the next couple years, the cheapest option is always the best option!

Now that I had found the perfect school it was time to start researching. I am a big planning kind of person, when I have a goal which I am excited for I plan out every single detail because it makes me feel like I have less to do (if I haven't planned something then I always feel overwhelmed!).

First and foremost...money. How much money would I need to earn in the long-run? How often a week would I need to work in order to earn this much money?

Next, what did I need in order to qualify for this program? How much Japanese would I need to know? How much longer did I need to study before I should apply? What grades did I need to get?

Last of all, what other technical details did I need to cover before applying? When do I get a passport? HOW do I get a passport? What would I need for the application form?

And each of these "little" steps have stories in and of themselves...

A New Goal

When I began working at 15 years old it seemed that suddenly the money was rushing into my pockets like there was no tomorrow. Feeding my horse became really easy (before this it was a struggle to earn the $70 I needed each month to feed her) and I even had extra money to put in the bank. I went through a short time in which I did not really know what to do with myself. I spent all my time working and riding my horse but I needed something more.

Then one day I had a conversation with my friend Dani about how her sister was going to Japan for an exchange program and the wheels in my head started turning. I had always wanted to go to school in Japan and I often joked about how we should move to Japan solely so that I could go to school there. Now suddenly it seemed as if this little dream of mine could be something more than just a dream. I could actually make it happen! So, just like when I wanted a horse I approached my mother "I have been thinking..." I said, "You know I have always wanted to go to Japan. Well, I think I can do it!"

At this point in time she new better than to disbelieve me (after all, you remember what happened last time). So she set down what she was doing, looked me in the eye, and said, "all right, you already know that I wont pay for any of it, but I will help you find a school to go to". I began another journey, this one much harder and requiring a lot more than my last endeavor ever could.

A goal-oriented person

I have always been a very goal-oriented child. I am almost constantly saving all my money (and I mean ALL my money) for the latest very expensive but worthwhile experience, or object.
For example, growing up it was my dream above all dreams to own a horse (as you can see I was not the most...original child...but what the heck, that is what I wanted). Unlike most 10 year-old kids, instead of just dreaming about constantly, I dreamed about it constantly AND decided I would make it happen! I marched right up to my mother with my ingenious plan and screeched excitedly, "MOMMY! MOMMY! If I earn the money, can I pleeeease buy a horse?!!"
"uhh....sure honey..." she replied distractedly (who knows whether or not she thought I could do it, but I did, and that is all that mattered to my 10 year old heart at that moment)
So I began planning, and by planning I mean deciding names for my dream horse, as well as what color she would be as well as wonder how I would possibly earn the money for all of this. Job opportunities were scarce but I started by grooming my neighbors dog and then branched out to yard work for a nice lady named Peggy, as well as our family friend Rod. Each dollar (well, each CENT really) went straight to my bank account and for the next 2 years I did not spend one dollar on myself. (I believe it was around this time that my family realized that I was perfectly serious, and in fact, quite capable of buying a horse).
Finally, after 2 long years of saving and saving and saving, I had earned $300 which to me was a HUGE amount (though, in retrospect....well...you know what I mean). I proudly took my money (and my friend's parent, who knew alot about choosing a horse) to the local livestock auction, and, for $120, bought a little appaloosa yearling who was sent to auction because she was the wrong color.
I still own this horse, in fact, I trained her myself and love her like a child. I know that even though, I cant even remember what I my old parakeet's names were, or how many cats I've owned, I will always remember the little brown horse who I bought at 12 for $120.


3 years later, I got a job at the local Subway. With all this money coming to me every two weeks I needed a new goal...