Small Change

How You Doing? This & That: Making Progress Edition

Small Change

It's the little things that make all the difference in the world. Decide to make a small change today, and in a few months you'll look back and wonder why it was ever a big deal to make that change; it just seems so "normal."

That's the idea behind the pay-yourself-first approach to saving. Increase your TFSA contribution by $20 a week. Com'on, $20 a week is only $5 a day during the work week. Over 35 years that $20 a week will grow to almost $58,000 if you're earning 2.5% on your money. Earn just 1% more and you'll have over $70,000. Hey, that's got to be worth $20 a week! (Contrary to popular belief, interest rates won't always be as low as they are today.)

But the small change idea goes beyond saving. You can apply it to so many parts of your life. Walk around the block once a day to get started on a walking program. Soon you'll be able to do it two, three, four times.

Take one Saturday a month to cook up a batch of food for the freezer so you have yummy food ready when you don't have time for week-night meal prep. In no time at all you'll fall in love with your own cooking again (you'll have to spread your wings to keep it interesting after all), and you'll re-embrace the slow cook approach to meal prep.

Up your monthly mortgage payment by $50. That's not so much, is it? $50 a month is manageable, right? Over a 25year amortization at 5%, you'll save over $13,000 in interest. Wow!

Change doesn't have to be dramatic to really be worth it. Small changes (like those coins you pile in the jar for that annual family vacation) can grow into significant new-and-better.

What one small thing will you change today?