Dreams and goals

I am sure many people come on here saying they have a dream to go pro and to be an olympian. I am not exactly like them, but in ways I am. I have a defined long term goal/dream that I could use a few tips on how to push towards that.

I am 16 years old and i've been riding since 5, I do hunters and I own my own horse. My dream/goal is to apply to the Emerging Athletes Program and be accepted. Aka this: Welcome to EAP

We don't really have a lot of extra money to spare, but if that's what it takes i'm working on finding a job right now to help afford it.
I'm really looking for just tips, encouragement, other nifty tricks concerning budgeting, making my goal come true, etc. Any tips? Thanks.

Bumping up for OP... :)

Here's some tips that helped hubby and I afford what our goals were:

Coupons - learn to use them. I'm not talking about those crazy coupon reality shows. I'm talking about using them on things you buy every day. You can find coupons anywhere for almost anything. Don't use them on things you have no intention on using. But for things you do use, they are FREE money.

Change - Don't discount this a all. Even pennies. They add up. Find change in a parking lot? Pick it up, toss it in a jar. You'd be surprised at how fast it can add up.

Recycle - If you need something like say a bridle. Don't buy new. Look on craigslist (be careful), consignment shops, 2nd hand tack stores, etc. Make sure it's in safe condition wise and not going to break. Clean them up and many times you can find things just like brand new.

Freecycle - I am not sure where you live but here's a link ... The Freecycle Network .. find a group in your area and those things are FREE. Be sure to give something back though. That's why these types of things work.

Budget - Define things you really need vs things you want. Wants are "nice to haves" but if you are going for a specific goal, they are not needed. Decide how much you can save and never fail to put that amount away where you can't get to it easily.

Hope this helps you some on the financial end of things. Good luck! It looks like a great program :)

[QUOTE=BBBCrone;1797628]

Change - Don't discount this a all. Even pennies. They add up. Find change in a parking lot? Pick it up, toss it in a jar. You'd be surprised at how fast it can add up.

As my great grandpa (who lived thru the great depression of the 30's) used to say "A penny saved, is a penny earned"
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Thank you!

I'll take those tips into mind and start trying to save up so that when I need something or say, want to go to a show, I will have some money to help me get there!