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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in saving money
Simple Money Magic: Affirmations for Abundance

I first heard the wisdom of the visionary teacher and writer, Louse Hay 25 years ago when my dear friend Duncan gifted me his well-worn cassette tape of her speaking about how to develop a mindset of abundance. I admittedly brought a bit of a scarcity mindset to California with me from West Virginia and was eager to learn new ways. I loved Louise Hay’s insights, wholly new to me. Duncan patiently explained to me his takeaways from Hay’s wisdom and how it had worked for him and changed his life for the better When paying bills, instead of resenting the utility that had supplied water and electricity, instead, write the check and seal the envelope and say aloud “thank you, Pacific Gas and Electric for supplying me with power for my home and trusting me to pay you. Blessings to you, PG&E!” We even began a ritual of paying bills together and then walking together to the mailbox and pronouncing our gratitude to all the recipient of our money. We even added the finishing touch of kissing the stamped envelopes and saying “Thank you!” before dropping them in for mailing. We got some looks of surprise at our mailbox rituals but we believed wholeheartedly in Louise Hay and this was working for Duncan. Soon, it began to work for me and I fully embraced the mindset. Most surprising of all, I stopped being filled with dread and worry when bills came in started paying bills the same day they came in, whenever possible. In addition to abetting an attitude of abundance, it helped my credit score

In the early 1990’s, we had to go to the mailbox for our 5 minute gratitude ritual. Nowadays with all the instantaneous ways of sending money and electronic payments, it might be closer to a 5 second ritual. However, before you hit send, get into your Manifestor’s Mindset and express thanks before you hit “send.” This attitude of abundance that stems from the mindset is like a muscle; the more you use it,  the stronger it will be and you will see much manifestation. A lot.

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Pagan shavings challenge, week twenty-four:  not a typo

As I was doing my money work this morning at my outdoor altar (pictured), I wondered how I could incorporate Father's Day into a Pagan savings challenge post.  Since I just published a reflection on shaving and fatherhood in a paper I write for, I'm opting to tie my experience with razor shaving into the process.

I know that not everyone is following the savings plan I laid out at the beginning of this challenge, but if you are, you're putting away $24.00 in this, the twenty-fourth week.  That's just about a third of my weekly allowance, which is starting to crimp my style!  To continue this pace, finding ways to cut expenses is becoming a more and more important priority.

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  • Gemma SEymour
    Gemma SEymour says #
    A straight razor can be very challenging to use, but a great compromise is an old-style double-edge safety razor. The blades are s
Pagan savings challenge, week twenty:  renewal

Twenty weeks is more than a third of the way through the Pagan savings challenge, so you're either gathering a head of steam, or you're way behind and giving up in all but name.  The rewards for being on track should already be evident, so let's talk about what to do if you're on the other side of that coin.  If your savings challenge needs saving, I'm here to help.

First things first:  this is a no-shame zone.  Not meeting your goal is not failure.  The very act of setting a measurable goal is stupendous success in and of itself.  Goals are measuring sticks, and if you find this one hard to meet, you now know enough to figure out if it's the goal or your effort that needs adjusting.  This is just as important if hitting the goal is effortless -- maybe you're not saving enough!

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Pagan savings challenge, week sixteen:  other voices

Discovering what other people are saying about the Pagan savings challenge is a source of joy for me.  Case in point:  this PaganSpace.net discussion about different savings strategies.

The original poster says, "I'm not going about it the same way he did just because I don't think it would work for me to be putting more than $5 a week away into savings is practical for my low income family."  I agree!  The level of savings should be challenging, but not impossible.  I'm glad e is adapting the challenge to fit eir own circumstances, because any savings is better than no savings, and developing a saving habit will serve you for life.

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  • Christopher Blackwell
    Christopher Blackwell says #
    As I get by on disabilty I do a number of things to save money. One is I only use cash and take out what I think is right for the
Pagan savings challenge, week eleven:  reflections

I've imposed some rules upon my own interpretation of the Pagan savings challenge, some of which are probably going to fall before long.

  1. I'm using the smallest bills possible, because I'm posting a picture each week and want that image to express abundance.  The envelope I use is pretty much maxed out as of this week, and my money shrine isn't large enough to support a larger one, but I still like the look of the growing pile of singles.
  2. I'm also replacing the cash entirely each week before I add new, to keep me mindful of the flow of money.  As the numbers grow higher, the practicality of doing so will drop, because . . .
  3. I am performing this savings challenge in cash, because talismans are powerful.  While there are security concerns for this practice, I have put sufficient safeguards into place that I feel confident continuing in this manner, even if I can't comply with the first two for much longer.

These rules are part of ritual which surrounds my savings, the ritual which places this work into religious context.  While I won't be dogmatic about them, I do believe that rooting work with money in one's faith practice will make it more powerful, more successful, and more valuable to the whole person than a wad of cash can be in its own right.

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Pagan savings challenge, week ten:  hardships

This past week has been a tough one on the household budget.  If money flows, then my household was at the top of a hill watching it flow down and away at an alarming rate.  When money is leaving faster than it's arriving, it can lead to some interesting reactions . . . such as a stronger urge to spend what you've got, to stock up for bad times.  Or to choke off the flow entirely and preserve what you've got, even though this will also likely stop the inward flow as well.

It's hard to save money when it feels like you don't have any.

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Saving money as a community:  the sou-sou

As the Pagan savings challenge progresses, I'm aware that there are Pagans who are not participating because my weekly (and impersonal) posts aren't motivation enough to keep it up.  The pressures are many, and my voice is small.  But my belief in the power of savings is strong.

  • Savings is a discipline, as surely as devotion and magic are, and discipline is its own reward.
  • Savings transforms one's relationship with money, changing it from one of reaction to one of intention.
  • Savings results in a pile of money that literally wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been saved, which is the sort of reward that even the most right-brained among us should appreciate.
  • Savings requires the right mix of patience and attention, which in proper measure can nurture virtually anything.

So in keeping with my sincere belief that each and every Pagan should have a savings plan as part of their spiritual practice, I present an alternative for working groups:  the sou-sou.  It is one of the simplest savings programs to understand, but challenging for the typical American to participate.  It came to the United States from West Africa, and is most commonly used in this country by populations who are on the edges -- or outside -- of the traditional money system.

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