As part of our attempt to be better handlers (pinchers) of our pennies we're trying to live on a budget. You can laugh - many of you probably do this already and have for a long time. But our financial plan to date has been "buy what we need and/or want. What's left can go to savings."
Hardly efficient, I know....
Before May began we plotted every dollar. We're only about a week into the first budget and we've already found 5 or 6 things we completely forgot to account for. Dry cleaning? We have to pay for that? We have an Audible.com account that charges us? Really?
Before May began I also found at least 8 subscriptions, memberships, etc that I either canceled or reduced. We weren't using them at all and won't miss them. This alone was fairly eye-opening. I think we saved $84/month just in little things like Netflix, the Sunday newspaper (which lays soggy in the driveway until someone *ahem...me* throws it away), some TV services didn't even know we had, the list goes on.
Also, I cannot even count the number of times Toby and I have said to one another "it's not in the budget this month". This is pretty great since neither of us is the bad guy when we say "no"...it's the budget's fault. I'll be sure to use this line with Robbie in a few years.
Having family in town was hard - they wanted to go shopping on their last day. How fun is it to go shopping when you can't buy anything? I think I deserve an big hand for spending an hour in my favorite clothing store with my Sister in Law and not spending a dime. Whew!
Toby likewise deserves a pat on the back for doing something similar in Cabella's with my brother.
3 comments:
Hooray for you guys! It is hard to manage and stick with a budget, but it is fun to watch those extra dollars add up in your savings account when you are more careful about spending them.
Good work!
That is so awesome! I can't believe how much you saved by doing that...that is rawkin'! Good luck you guys.
$84!!! Holly crap! That is a lot of money you just saved.
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