This morning, when I went to set aside this week's allotment for the Pagan savings challenge, I was faced with another sort of challenge: I couldn't find the envelope with the money in it. I was being practical, I thought, by not leaving it out in plain sight; even if robbers don't break into my home, out of sight is out of mind, so I will be less likely to spend it.
Note to self: there's a very fine line between out of sight and out of sight. It does me no good to not know where the money is in the first place!
But there are some interesting lessons here. I did find that envelope, but if I had not, it would have meant the loss of one dollar. The same error in six months' time would have meant coming up with $351, a much larger chunk of change. Money compounds over time, but it starts out slowly, like an avalanche, a wave, or the movement of a continent.
And to be faced with an obstacle so early on reminds me that, as the pile of cash grows, the number of reasons to spend some will also multiply. That's why I don't want to remember where I keep it during the week.
What kinds of things might you write on the envelope to discourage spending? Prayers? To whom? A spell? What would it say? A simple warning, like Don't Spend This in red letters?
Pagans of all stripes, teach me how you would handle this particular type of temptation.