Thank goodness March and APril are over. I don't know about anyone else, but the two previous months were very challenging for the five of us. I had a job that I loved, but then was on a leave of absence (part paid, part unpaid) for about four to five weeks, we had vet appointments for the animals, two birthdays, Easter, changes in finances, dentist appointments, a pair of new glasses for my DH, and through everything, my finances stayed intact. I never did touch my savings account, and never overdrafted my checking account.
The bills were paid, money was very tight, and we were able to get through it. We had dinner every night, and the kids did not want to go to bed hungry. I paid the minimum on my equity line (a very stupid move I made years ago), and my student loan. I kept a hold of all the income I had, and my husband sold things on the internet (I say crap, but people bought it) and supplied us with extra groceries and snacks sometimes. Every little bit does help.
Now do I want to continue to live this lifestyle? The past two months were not easy. The kids protested not having their snacks, and asked why the changes. I did a lot of crying, I was sad, laid on the sofa to escape to a different place, and I became a hermit. The stress of everything caused my DH and I to have a few arguments (We are human after all). When I was feeling better, I put out several applications within my company I worked for, to seek a transfer position. I went to three interviews and accepted a full time night weekend position, which I have been working for almost three weeks. I received my first pay check on Thursday.
I want to continue to live a certain kind of lifestyle. I want my bills paid every month. I like to keep my savings account active and make deposits. I love to work in my yard, and would like to continue that. It helps with depression, improves my mood, gets rid of my anxiety, and makes me feel good.
Living a frugal lifestyle frees up a lot of concern and worry. I know that I can always get the monthly bills paid, eat well on a limited budget, use my resources wisely, and improve the lives of my family. We don't need the newest electronic gadget, or to go out and have dinner in a restaurant (which I do MISS A LOT, I am human too).
We do need to have a home that is warm, food to eat, shelter, clothing that is appropriate, shoes or sneakers on our feet, and to provide safety for the five of us and our animals. We all need medical and dental care.
I want to remain out of debt, keep my snowball payment to my student loan, and my equity line. As I am doing that, I pay the minimum on my mortgage. The rest of my bills are the nirmal house bills, electric, water, cable, cell phones, car insurance, etc etc. I keep a limit of 300 dollars for groceries a month.
Life is good. Sorry for the rant.
It can be quite a change if you make them all at once. Luckily my parents were quite thrifty, so I grew up that way, and wasn't used to a lot of frills. Eating out is a temptation for me, but I am on a low salt, low fat diet because I have high blood pressure, so eating out is REALLY unhealthy--it's very hard to stay low salt that way. We compromise by trying not to eat out more than once a week, and sometimes we don't even go that often. I do enjoy cooking (not ALL the time!) so it's not as hard as it could be. I do have a tendency to make larger pieces of meat or even casseroles which will do for two nights. We like leftovers, and I do re-purpose them into different meals as much as I can. Or have what I call a "smorgasbord" night which is a little bit of a lot of different things. Making a quick bread--muffins, biscuits, or something quick like that can often make a meal seem more special. Even so, I need to remember to put more leftovers in the freezer if I can not use them quickly!
ReplyDeleteHaven't been reading long enough to know how old your kids are....could they help make snacks instead of wanting you to buy certain things? Are they old enough to make cookies or brownies or dips w/veggies themselves? Just a thought! Popcorn is a good snack, too, and so are nuts and smoothies! We try to keep to inexpensive snacks, like fruit, yogurt (on sale) and popcorn frequently. Much cheaper than chips, etc.
I am concerned with the price increases in food especially lately, and will be sticking to some cheaper foods a little more often---cabbage, carrots, are good vegetables and can be fixed in many different ways. With broccoli prices shooting up until the crops around here start coming in, we'll be more careful with our buying and using all we buy.
I have pretty much always been frugal but am learning more new ways to watch the pennies every week. Electric prices are going up too, and I'm going to be unplugging more and more things around here to make sure my bills stay lower.
It's just something we have to keep working at in every way we can, making sure we get the most possible value for the money we spend. I like being in CONTROL of my budget, and it makes me feel good to be able to meet an unexpected expense without panic! Keep up the good work but don't get depressed about it---you don't get good at everything overnight so putting new practices into play may mean a few not so great decisions along the way. I've made them too. Forgive yourself and get back to the plan!! I think you're doing great!
Marcia,
DeleteI have been doing this for a few years now. The past two months were a little more of a challenge due to being out of work on a partially unpaid leave of absence. I have since gone back to work and things have eased some. My kids are teenagers, 19, 17, 15. They are good kids and have learned over the years to not complain much. My husband is the "fun parent" and ensures that the kids and him get the snacky things, etc etc. We do enjoy eating out, and my DH sells things sometimes on the computer and uses that to get take out. Other times, he will save what cash he does have, and we will go out. I do let the kids decide for their birthdays and such where they would like to eat. It's almost always a take out meal.
I do put most left overs in the freezer. I seem to make "big meals" and sometimes it doesn't all get used up. Putting things int eh freezer prevents me from throwing stuff away, and costing more cash in the long run.
The kids do make their own snacks at times. My girls like to bake and my son will usually just grab a sandwich or some fruit. I make it a point during the week to make some sort of cookie for them, or some kind of treat, so that they are not looking through the pantry and scavenging. Baking during the week helps. I don't have time on the weekends to do it, since I work 3 twelve hour shifts, Fri, Sat, and Sun.