This afternoon, I asked my daughter where she’d like to go on vacation once she graduated high school. That’s four years from and that gives me more than enough time me to save. She rattled down a few places; Hawaii, Bahamas, Bermuda… and then her eyes widened and she said, “London!” Right now London, is at the top place on her short list. Who knows, it might change… she has four years after all, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll start saving the money to fund that trip soon. Four years will be more than enough time to turn that dream into a reality. Of course, after I get a sizeable amount set aside, I think the best option would be to let that money sit in a money market account or something similar so it can accumulate a bit more interest as it matures. I still have time to decide on what way I’ll be going with that since I won’t start saving for her trip until after schooling (she attends private school) for the next year is paid. That should be taken care of before summer.

Soapmaking
We were supposed to get lots of snow overnight and throughout the day and while it started out that way, we ended up with a few inches of snow and a lot of freezing rain! Brr…. thankfully I had no where to go, and of course my daughter’s school was closed which meant we had more time to hang out together and this evening, I made some more cold processed soap. It’s a new recipe that I created and it should produce a hard bar of soap with lots of lather. I can’t wait to try it and see what my testers think about the soap. I’ll give this about six weeks to cure. I scented it with cedarwood essential oil.
Another You Need a Budget mention…
Since I had a lot of extra time today, I made the most of it, by spending time with my daughter. I do that daily, but since she’s out of school, well we had more time. Also, I did some work with my business and I actually sat in on a You Need A Budget (YNAB) seminar titled,
Pay for Big Expenses without Borrowing
Learn to use your budget to help you pay cash for big ticket items instead of borrowing. Whether it’s a wedding, a new baby or a major home improvement, we’ll show you how budgeting can help you avoid the debt trap and find the cash to make your bigger financial goals a reality.
I might have mentioned this class in an earlier post. I logged into the class knowing how to do this, and I already incorporate that into my own life, but I figured I might pick up some helpful tips also. After all, it’s not always wise to assume you know too much about a topic. I don’t. I’m always willing to learn more. There was a lot of information that I had known, but it was nice hearing that others are doing similar things as myself. And I did pick up a few great tips. The lady who taught the class, is older and has children that are married with their own children. Some of her big expenses came at Christmas, when her and her husbands children and their grandchildren came home for the holidays. For her, planning in advance meant no extra bills after Christmas was over. I shared my story about my recently purchased car, that I’d been saving for, and my long-term goal… vacation. I also mentioned including my daughter in the budgeting process and that’s when she shared something awesome. Students can take advantage of You Need a Budget for free. Yes, their first year is free. It’s normally $50. Currently, I’m still under my trial period. I have two months, and eight days. When I was in my early twenties, it took me a lot longer to save for big purchases. In some cases, additional sacrifices were made to reach those goals sooner. It was definitely worth the effort.
Hi there! It was great texting you tonight and catching up! Looking forward to chatting tomorrow too! The soaps look great! Congrats on the business too! The more info the merrier regarding budgeting I say
Jennifer recently posted..Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Drink & YouTuber of the Moment
@Jennifer, Yes it was. I look forward to chatting with you today. Thanks, I’m enjoying it immensely. It’s definitely a lot of work, but I’ve never been afraid of that. Agreed on the budgeting. I just finished reconciling my budget on YNAB. I’m loving that application. I still wish it was available offline. It used to be.
Aynaria recently posted..Dry Erase boards and YNAB update
I would love to go to London too but with my very very old parents around, I would not be able to get away too long and travel too far. Well, if you ever come over to Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia, it would be my utmost pleasure to welcome you here!
suituapui recently posted..One more to go…
@suituapui, You know Malaysia is on my list to visit and it has everything to do with seeing you, your family and seeing some of those lovely sites in person.
Aynaria recently posted..Preparing for the unexpected: 2003 Toyota Prius Error Codes P3125 & P3130