Forget the Joneses

Rather than face the futility of keeping up with the Jones family, the Donats chose their own course on the road to becoming debt-free – and virtually care-free.

Even for highly motivated couple like Meghan and Morgan Donat, there were times when sticking to the budget has been tough.

The family buys most of its clothes at second-hand stores and yard sales. Donats drive used cars to save money.

The temptation to splurge on new and cool things just because other people have them, though, is never far away. It’s is hard to battle the urge to keep up with the Joneses, she admits.

“There are times that I had budget burnout … when I saw people driving new vehicles or going away for March break … when you see people with the trendy clothes,” said Meghan.

And, admittedly, emotional support for the budgeter during those tough times is often almost completely absent.

“It is boring, and there is absolutely no glamour in it,” Meghan wrote in her blog.

Battling that boredom and lack of support, the Donats decided to motivate themselves by making photocopies of a $1,000 bill, one for each $1,000 of debt they had, and placing them on Bristol board inside their closet. Every time they cleared $1,000, they coloured in one or those photocopied bills to show themselves what they had gained.