I need to try harder for that.
It has been almost a year since I have decided to be a stay at home mom. And you would think that the financial change would have changed our spending habits, but it really didn't.
I know money is a taboo subject. But it's part of reality, a huge part of it.
My husband and I had a heart to heart last night about some changes we need to make to make sure that we are saving more, and spending less. Especially with a new baby coming.
Joey works so hard, I mean super hard and he provides well for us. But because we haven't cut down on all of the extras sometimes it seems like we don't even remember where we are spending out money.
First thing we said, almost in sync was, "we have got to stop eating out so much!"
We spend hundreds on eating out each month. It's ridiculous, especially since I am such a great cook!
I haven't felt well these past couple of months due to morning sickness, so I used that as an excuse for not wanting to smell food or cook it. Besides the financial issue, it's very unhealthy and needs to stop asap.
One area that is totally my fault is that I almost always overspend on groceries. I buy stuff that we don't use, it goes bad, it goes in the trash and gets completely wasted. I need to start doing more meal plans, and I need to make sure that I am only making one meal for dinner instead of 2 for the picky eaters at the table.
And also, like most married couples, we have our fair share of debt. We do not want to owe anyone money, it's a burden that doesn't have to be there. So part of getting our saving in gear is to use that to go towards being debt free on things such as credit cards. I know we can be debt free by this time next year if we try really hard at it and keep our spending on a much more realistic level. So this is where we are starting, hoping for positive changes, hoping to be able to put more money in our pockets and less wasted. So we are going on a serious budget this December!
If any of you have any money saving suggestions, or meal plan ideas that are family of 5 friendly, I am listening!
3 comments:
Hey there! I highly recommend a detailed budget and then you can see where your money goes each month. Jon created ours when we first got married and we've been using it ever since. It has definitely helped us stay debt free. It also helps us see where our money goes each month.
As for the eating out, we rarely eat out anymore, because of finances. But we tend to eat out more when I am feeling oh so nauseous!
Hang in there! it's tough, but it is well worth it!
One of the most important lessons I learned in life was well after I had maxed out credit cards and ruined my credit. If you don't have the cash for it, you can't afford to buy it!
For budgeting, what has helped me in the past is to STOP USING the debit card. I spend so much more money when I do that. I have pulled cash out every pay day and literally put them in seperate envelopes labeled "groceries" "gas" "utilities" "cell phones" whatever it may be. Whatever your grocery budget is would be the amount of cash you put in that envelope and that's what you take to the grocery store. When I can visually see the money that I have left for food, I shop way wiser! Hope it helps :)
thanks ladies, those are really great suggestions. I wish we would have planned out our budget from the beginning like you did Jolie, but I guess now is better than never.
Post a Comment