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I don't use anything but that is a very good idea. Having something visual might help me do better! I can't wait to hear suggestions on this one!

I use worksheets for everything from tracking our spending to logging how much each bill is every month. I also have a thermometer that I use to track the progress in our emergency fund. I love seeing it fill up and I keep it on my fridge. I like to see things on paper.

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Proud mommy to adorable Kinsley

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I totally misunderstood the question (what a surprise, I know).

When you said what visuals do you use, I thought you meant, what is going through your mind when you are shopping and making purchases. My first thought was: my daughter.

Before DD, budgeting was not a priority for either DH or myself. Now when I am out shopping, it is always running through my head, "if I don't buy a,b,and c then I could buy x,y and z for Riley." For instance, the other day I was eyeing a $15 bottle of wine when I realized that I could buy 4 gallons of milk instead. So I am always questioning whether something I am wanting is more important than something I could be providing for my DD. I know I went completely off track here.....

This is exactly what I thought too! We are saving and budgeting so that I can become a SAHM. When I think about our savings I am visualizing myself at home, playing with my daughter (and future kids). I imagine baking cookies with her and teaching her things. It is truly what is keeping me motivated during the next 27 weeks (yes I'm counting) that I am working.

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I think you guys brought up a great point though. Visualizing myself staying home and playing with our little girl is the ONLY thing that has kept me out of the stores lately. Great point!

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Proud mommy to adorable Kinsley

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I love using visuals! I am a scientist by trade, so charts and graphs put everything into focus for me. I use MSMoney to make graphs that show "How I Spend My Money" or "Who is Getting My Mondy." This helps me see if there are any "red light" areas that I need to fix!

I also like to use graphs (or something similar) to track progress towards a goal. For instance, if we need to save $2,000 towards a family vacation, I would make a picture with the family at home at one end and our destination at the other. Then, if we are traveling by air, I would make an airplane. The airplane would travel from home ($0) to the destination ($2,000) as savings were made. That way everyone could see how far we had made it and how close we were to our goal.

I've done similar things for home improvement jobs, etc. Try to think of a way you can color in an item (an outline of a car, if you are saving for a new vehicle) or move from point A to point B to show progress. It's a great way to see the progress and teach kids about saving and paying cash.

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Homeschooling Mom to Daniel (12 Years), Andrew (9 Years), Stephen (7 Years) and Emily (3 Years)

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Visuals certainly do not need to be on paper- it's good people can just picture their children :-)

I definitely need a little more to keep up my motivation. I like the charts and graphs idea- I might look into some options with that!

This is gonna sound totally weird but Newlywed's ticker helps me save. I am so motivated watching her debt fly away that it makes me wanna save more.

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That's funny because I'm the same. I keep thinking if she can work all those jobs and bust her but to pay off debt, I can work harder too. I find it so inspiring!

In terms of visuals I use a chart to figure out my net worth so I can see it going up over the years. I love 'seeing' the change.

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