It Happens Every Year

Do you ever have those events that you are "surprised" when they get here? Some examples are Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving, renewing your tags on your vehicle, inspecting your vehicle.  "Oh my gosh!! It's her birthday again?! Didn't she just have a birthday?!"  Why is it that we are "surprised" when it is close to these events happening in our lives? All of a sudden it is Thanksgiving and we start to panic slightly because we have not started our Christmas shopping!

Well, I had to renew the tags on our vehicle this month.  I know this happens every year in June.  Yet, I start freaking out a bit because it is extra money I have to spend because I did not save up for it like I promised I would last year at this time.  I have already made the "promise" to start saving up for it next year so it does not take me by surprise again.  Maybe even renew the tags for two years instead of one next year. (Yeah right!! You can laugh if you want to here.)

Have you ever told yourself that you would save up for certain yearly expenses and then here it is a year later and you did not? I think maybe just the act of getting started is the first step.  I had spoken with someone else who said that they divided the cost by twelve and put that much money up every month so next year, they would already have the money saved for the item.  I thought to myself, "Great idea!! I must do this!!" Here it is a year later and I did not.  It happens every year at this time and I still act as if it is a surprise that I have to renew those tags.

Planning and saving has got to be the key here.  There is just no other way to do this!! Or maybe you have a better way and if you do, please let me know.  Maybe this is just partly being lazy to not plan? Maybe it is something that I think that I will deal with tomorrow and tomorrow happens to come way to quickly? Failure to plan is it (at least for me, anyway).  Trying to save for these things is easy to not do and I do it often.  "I'll start it tomorrow" is a common thought I have on starting to plan for some savings.  Taking the first step to get it done is the hardest but I have got to do it.  It just has to be done!!

What are your thoughts on this? How do you plan for yearly little money surprises?

Jenn