Comments on: Using a Gratitude Journal as a Personal Motivator to Save Money and Enjoy Life

By: michelle

michelle — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:18:33 +0000

I read a study about this gratitude journal–apparently the idea failed miserably. After 6 weeks of having high school students write 5 things they were grateful for, they were re-measured in gratitude and found to be less grateful than students that didn’t have to write the gratitude journal.

apparently this habit created “gratitude exhaustion” and made a lot of the students feel resentful.

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:53:57 +0000

Don’t forget that getting a book from the library is completely free!

By: Daniel Brenton

Daniel Brenton — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:33:02 +0000

This post was highlighted in the February 19 edition of Gratitude Watch. Thank you for promoting the value of gratitude.

By: cwk

cwk — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:12:19 +0000

A gratitude journal? First I’ve heard of this sort of thing, but thankfulness goes a long way toward successful, happy living.

Every time I lose it, I’m reminded that I need a good, swift kick in the pants.

By: Carla

Carla — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:47:02 +0000

There’s a gratitude journal for the iPhone to make this very easy to do! Check it out: happytapper.com

By: MK

MK — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:27:20 +0000

I’ve heard of a grtitude journal but have never actually taken the time out of my day to write down, or even just to reflect on the things that have made me happy throughout the day. I think this is a great idea to enable us all to reflect on those little (and sometimes big) things that happen to us on a daily basis.

thanks so much for reminding me of this at a point in my life that I really believe that I think it would be most beneficial to my wellbeing!!

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:00:27 +0000

Trent–

You nailed– It’s the moment. We all need to grab and cherish all the moments. You just have to be aware of them and capture them when they happen.

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:52:53 +0000

What a great idea! I decided to try this last night and enjoyed it. I’m going to blog about it. :)

By: Nate @ Money Young

Nate @ Money Young — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:43:49 +0000

Trent, this is a good post. Just reading it makes me appreciate what I have, and my mind starts listing all that I am thankful for.

Thanks for sharing this experience.

-Nate

By: Barbara Scialabba

Barbara Scialabba — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:30:02 +0000

I have been keeping a gratitude journal off and on for 10 years. It keeps me focused on looking for the good things everyday. My life has beed a little nuts these last few years-husband laid off 4 times in 4 years, he had unexpected open heart surgey, handicapped daughter causing a lot of commotion but even on these days, I can focus on wonderful people, my job, my friends and other things that are a blessing. Writing it down commits it better to memory and makes me more aaware the next day to keeping looking for the good things. And you are right-none of it costs money.

By: moody

moody — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:00:49 +0000

i think i may try this. for me it wouldn’t be so much about realizing that my truly special moments don’t involve spending money. i would use it to keep myself positive. there’s something incredibly reassuring about knowing that good things happen even on bad days.

to carmen and gabriel: i think the writing it down is really important. it does make it more real than the thoughts just floating around in your head. plus, if you plan on making any changes based on the journal, having a record is key.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:44:14 +0000

Our family has been doing something similar at meal times for years. When we are all eating together, one of us gets the ‘blue plate’. All the other people at the table have to say one ‘appreciate’ towards the person with the blue plate (which rotates around the table every meal). I can’t tell you how the person on the receiving end BEAMS when they hear what nice acts they have done. It’s usually something simple like,” I appreciate that you took the dirty laundry down without me asking you…”

By: Green Panda

Green Panda — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:34:47 +0000

I’m grateful for my family. I love my husband especially his ‘go with the flow’ demeanor. I love my mom’s phone calls to just say hi. I love my sister’s sense of humor. I love baby brother’s optimism no matter what’s going on.

By: Kristen @TheFrugalGirl

Kristen @TheFrugalGirl — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:10:45 +0000

I think that’s a very good idea…part of being able to be content with a frugal life is learning to appreciate what you already have(both material and immaterial things), and this is a good way to encourage contentment and joy.

By: Gabriel

Gabriel — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:51:58 +0000

Carmen, I’ve been wondering the same thing. It’s always good to recall the best parts of your day, but I suspect that writing it down makes it more “real.” Similar to the way that writing down what chores you have to do on a list, then crossing them off as you do them, keeps things more organized. It’s like having backup memory storage.

By: Carmen

Carmen — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:37:19 +0000

I like this idea, but am wondering if it’s simply about recalling what was good about your day as opposed to needing a written record of them. Or is the main purpose to look back at them over time?

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:48:39 +0000

You could also adopt this tool to help you figure out the difference between expenses that you want and expenses that you need. It would also be useful in helping you prioritize the expenses that you want – if you buy a new TV, and none of your entries involve the TV, maybe the TV wasn’t something high on your priority list, and maybe it was more of a splurge than something you really needed or desperately wanted.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:56:34 +0000

One of my goals for 2009 is to get back into keeping a gratitude journal. I used to do it all the time, then sort of lost track. Now I am back on it. Each night before bed I sit down and jot down 10 things that made me happy during the day or made me smile. You are right – almost none of them have anything to do with money.

By: Su Prieta

Su Prieta — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Simple Dollar, I am very embarrassed because I left my previous comment on the wrong post. I clicked through from my reader and ended up on the wrong site, for this apologize.

I have read your post and I agree that the things we cherish are often not the things we spend need to or should money on. I am thankful everyday for my husband. We do not yet have kids, but I am learning gradually to separate the things in my possession that I have paid for from the things that promote my happiness and peace of mind. I do think it is a process sometimes, but I’m getting there.

By: RJ W

RJ W — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:43:30 +0000

I do something very similar, asking myself at the end of the day, what I enjoyed most.

At the end of each day, the entries revolve around one of two things. First, interactions with people I’m close to. Second, an accomplishment. It could be the feeling of getting through a nice workout or writing a helpful article.