This didn’t start out as a new year’s resolution but it became one after we started experiencing some cash flow issues and couldn’t figure out why. So we sat down and went over our expenses from January to January and boy was it eye-opening. We found the leaks. Well, more like huge gaping waterfalls where some of our money was going.
It wasn’t too surprising. Books (of course) and dining out were the two biggies. But in a way it was kind of surprising because we had identified these last year and here we are a year later and still they are causing problems. I finally figured out why. When I identified them last year, I was so horrified by the amounts that I just said, “That’s it. No more books or restaurants. Period.” Well. That’s not realistic. It’s like a really strict diet. You can force yourself to adhere to it for a short while but then you are bound to rebel. What’s one lunch? One dinner? One happy hour? One book? Or one more? It all adds up to a lot of money going out the window each month. So this time I set a budget for books and restaurants. This way we aren’t denied but we have boundaries. And I am getting to know my library again.
While we are at the low end for most of our basic necessities each month our groceries are at the high end so I’ve been thinking of ways to trim that monthly expense without using coupons. I hate coupons. And they are never for things I would normally buy if I didn’t have a coupon so what’s the point? I came up with two solutions. The first is to extend my time between shopping by three to four days. That will cut out an entire week of groceries each month. To do that means I am scavenging through the freezer and cupboards but the meals are healthy and delicious and food is being used up. Second, eliminate trips to the grocery store to just pick up a couple of things in between shops. It’s never just a couple of things. Ever. And it always adds up to at least twenty to fifty bucks a pop. If we don’t have it on hand I’ll make something else.
This week, because we were running low on snacks I rummaged around the baking cupboard and found some Hersey’s cocoa. I ended up making a homemade chocolate cake and frosting from the recipe on the back on the canister. And I used up all the cocoa which had been up there for awhile. My family deems it the best cake ever. And it was a cake for no special occasion which made it even more special.
Stay tuned for more adventures in frugality throughout the year. I am anxious to see how these changes add up… literally.
yay Kim! We’ve been doing the same thing. We have basically cut our grocery bill in half by buying larger packages of items we use all the time – they are cheaper. And by making more things from scratch, like pizza dough (boboli is over $4/crust – and that doesn’t include the toppings!) and granola. I make extra and freeze it. We’ve gone from living just week by week, dwindling down to nothing to eat, to having extra meals stored in the freezer, and ingredients in the pantry. Now, I am only shopping every 2 weeks. Plus, we are going out less because we have food at home…that was a weakness – if we didn’t have anything good to eat, it was very tempting to stop for lunch or just go out for dinner.
Kristi:)