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Pinterest nail or fail

Savings plans and memory boxes

So, it’s the first month of a new year. A fresh start for some — and for others, just another bunch of days to cross off on the calendar. Many people make resolutions at the beginning of a new year — something they hope to follow all year long. Some may be successful, but others, not so much. Oh, well — it’s still nice to start off a new year with goals!

I have a few goals of my own for 2018. I find it easier for me to stick to something if I have a plan or guide to follow. My first goal is to save some money this year because I’d like to have a down payment for a new car by fall (hopefully). So, I looked on Pinterest to find some savings plan guides.

On Pinterest I found a bunch of different guides to help you save money weekly, monthly, bi-weekly or by whenever you get paid — even daily. It all depends on the total amount you want to save and how much you are able to set aside each week or month.

One weekly plan was to save $1 the first week, $2 the second week and so on through all 52 weeks of the year, leaving you with $1,378 at the end of the year. Or, if you don’t want save the larger amounts around the holidays in November and December — go backwards and start with saving $52 on the first week. You also can mix up the amounts and choose one at random each week. If you do that, I would suggest making a list of amounts and cross each one off as you go, or even make a sort of “Bingo” sheet with amounts to cross off.

Another savings chart I found was to start at 1 cent on the first day of the year and save one more penny each day. On the last day of the year, you will have saved $3.65, leaving you with $667.95 from your savings plan. This one also could be fun to do with your children, to help them learn how to save. Then they can be rewarded by buying something for themselves with some of the money they have saved. I know a year is an awful long time period for a child, but maybe think of some ways to make it fun. Get a new piggy bank and “feed the piggy” every night before bed or get the money out and play counting games. You could even give your child prizes for learning how to count.

So, I can’t say if this one is a nail or a fail until I reach my goal — but I can say that I love this idea and it’s super easy to create and customize your own chart to fit your specific situation and needs.

Another idea I’ve been hearing about over the last couple of years is a “memories” or “good things” jar. The idea is to write down something good that happened to you, or a nice or funny memory, on a piece of paper and place it into a jar as they happen throughout the year. Then, on New Year’s Eve, you can open the jar and go through all of the memories from the last year. This could be something you do on your own or with the whole family. It’s also a nice way to start a new family tradition.

I actually took a box that my mom bought to hold thank you cards at my baby shower and wrote “Stellfox family memories” on it. This will be my family’s memory box for 2018. You can paint the container with your family to make a fun activity for your children and you also can cut out special pieces of paper to use and make a pen older to attach to the jar, so you always have one handy when something good happens. Glue pictures to the container or use stickers on it, too — get creative!

This is another one that I can’t say if it is a nail or fail yet, since I won’t know until the end of the year — but it was a nail for me to make my box, since I already had it on hand and all I had to do was write on it. I don’t think you can really fail with making your memories container because they all will be unique to you and-or your family. I can’t wait to start filling mine up with memories!

Stellfox is a former Sun-Gazette editor who loves to try new crafts, recipes and other ideas out on Pinterest. Her column is published on the second Sunday of each month in the Lifestyle section. Share your Pinterest nail or fail with Stellfox, or suggest a pin for her to try, by emailing the Lifestyle Department email at life@sungazette.com or follow her on Pinterest.

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