I'm pretty fanatical about our budget. I have a great program that I love (you can read all about it on ynab.com) and I am addicted to keeping it up to date and watching every dime that enters/exits our bank accounts online.
When Scott and I first moved here we knew we would have to be pretty careful with our expenditures because things would be tight for a while. We were so incredibly frugal/cheap that when Scott mentioned getting pumpkins to carve for family night I took one look at the budget and told him it just wasn't going to happen. Scott still wont let me live this one down.
Over the past year we have be blessed to have received a few raises that have made us feel like we didn't' have to worry so much about keeping to our budget as strictly. In short, we got lazy and started spending more and more money.
Well, Saturday morning I started telling Scott about all the fun things I wanted to buy and he promptly said we should go over our budget in our Sunday meeting. Ironically at Church that night (we had Stake Conference) or Stake President challenged us to do a few things, one of which was to set a date to be debt free and if we were already debt free to build up our savings. I knew for sure at this point that I probably wasn't going to get a new wardrobe or a super-nice minivan.
We went over the budget last night and we decided to cinch up our belts and work on living below our means. Our goal: to save up for a down payment on a house. Scott knows how to get me on the bandwagon. There isn't much I am more motivated to save for than a house. Except for perhaps enough land that we can get a horse to go with our house.
So, I'm still not sure if we will be getting pumpkins this year to carve or if we will look at the budget and decide it just isn't worth it to make memories with our family when we could put that $3.75 into our "house savings account".
What ways have you found to cut costs without cutting out the fun.
9 comments:
Some of the things that as young couples we used to do:
1. reuse ziplock bags
2. only use paper towels in emergencies
3. plan weekly menus and shopping lists around the weekly ads.
4. use more water in making orange juice
5. shop garage sales and thrift stores ( i still like doing this)
6. mend clothes instead of buying new
7. use 1/2 of a "bounce" sheet
8. use coupons and never pay full price for most things
I'm sure there are more and better ways. Those are just a few that pop into my mind.
Please teach me your budgeting ways. I need to be better. However you have to carve pumpkins this year!! If not send Jeff my way and I will carve one with him. :) I only say this cause halloween is my most favorite holiday ever!
My favorite is Garage Sales... however the end of Garage Sale season is rapidly approaching. I typically determine Garage Sale Season around here by Conferences... April Conference is the begining and October Conference is the end... That means you still have a couple of weaks, garage sales are the best place to buy children's clothing and furniture!
I also set a budget of fifty dollars a week for groceries. it shoulds like very little, however you can do it (atleast around here) I also buy lots and lots of the essentials (like cereal) when it is on sale for dirt cheap. I watch for close dated dairy things like milk... they always last longer then the stamp says yet stores sell them for very cheap.
Also with gas prices I have decided I can only go out when absolutly mandatory, and then I save all my errands for the same time. This way I find that I don't spend as much time in wal-mart buying needless things, because I have so many other things to do that I go in grab what I need and leave.
Just simply staying home saves so much money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! find fun things to entertain yourself at home... eat lots of mac and cheese and peanut butter sandwhiches. . . cut out the cheese from your meals. (this save money and calories!) those are a few of my thoughts.
i think I have you beat about not letting scott get a pumpkin for carving. When Justin and I were only married for a month or two I told him that he couldn't do laundry because it wasn't in that weeks' budget to do so. It wasn't too funny at the time, but we laugh about it like crazy now. Justin always teases me about those first few months because I was always saying " we don't need it" before he could even finish a sentence. I think I've settled down some, adn we are much happier now.
i think I have you beat about not letting scott get a pumpkin for carving. When Justin and I were only married for a month or two I told him that he couldn't do laundry because it wasn't in that weeks' budget to do so. It wasn't too funny at the time, but we laugh about it like crazy now. Justin always teases me about those first few months because I was always saying " we don't need it" before he could even finish a sentence. I think I've settled down some, adn we are much happier now.
Mike and I are also pretty obsessed with our budget. Have you heard of Dave Ramsey? He's a financial adviser and has a radio show, and we absolutely love him. It's so exciting to save money and eventually be able to get what you want.
Now that I'm not working anymore, I'm thinking I better take Mamabear's advice and reuse our ziploc bags.
Dave Ramsey is our hero!!! Well, we like him. :) I have read his book twice (each time I need to get comitted again). Love it! It's almost like the gospel, you want to share it with others becuase you know the happiness it can bring you, but you don't want to offend anyone. :) The two things closest to peoples hearts, thier faith and thier finances.
Oh if I could only be more like Sadie in one more area! :) I recently made 3 big financial errors without noticing them--and realized that if I were more into my budget it wouldn't have happened. I thought to myself--I bet this never happens to Sadie!! (I put the wrong bank account # on three different online bill pays, and those bills didn't get paid for 2-3 months before I noticed) whoops! haha
And I thought all that extra money was just a blessing! haha
I think its important to live within your means...but you also don't want to miss out on those great memories like carving pumpkins with your children...There's a difference in carving pumpkins and going out to dinner every night of the week...but right now especially it is so important to save up for a house etc. interest rates and house prices are phenomenal right now...but you have to have a down payment for it! keep up the good work...but jeffrey needs to get pumpkin seeds all over himself and in his ears and nose etc!!!
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