Positively Challenged by my Budget

February 27, 2009 · Filed Under money saving ideas

Your what?

Yes, my BUDGET.

My husband put me on a budget, $250/week for groceries, food & entertainment. When he first asked me, I thought that was way too much money. I was thinking that my weekly groceries were about $100-$125. I was thinking that I was going to be able to save and buy things FOR ME.

It’s been about 4-5 weeks now and it’s going well but I don’t have a savings YET. The first week was a stretch, mostly because we have a couple dogs and they *both* needed food which was $100 for 2 big bags.

I’ve learned a lot in these past 4-5 weeks. You should really try it. You realize the other expenses that you have: school lunch money for the 2 boys, dry cleaning, EATING OUT, random purchases at Target, Walmart and all the other stores, dog food, birthday gifts for kids’ friend’s party, extra school party stuff, band tee shirt, science club tee shirt, yearbook, etc.

These expenses add up quickly!

Here are some random things I learned:

Plan your meals. I wasn’t so quick to stop & eat somewhere. I was more planned with meals. Even Subway for 4 is a minimum of $20.

Be mindful about purchases. (Can I wait until next week? Do we really NEED this NOW?) It was especially hard when items were on sale at the market but I thought about it again. (Yes, it’s a sale but do we NEED it NOW?…it’ll be on sale again)

Find a coupon. (Coupon Cabin, Slick Deals) Sports Authority, Staples, Office Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, stores like this, they always have coupons. Don’t buy things without a coupon at these stores!

It really is ok to say no to your kids. How many times are you at the store and your kids want something (EVERY TIME!!) It discouraged me when I found these items on the floor, so guess what? Even though the kids look like they REALLY want it, it’s temporary. Believe me, they forget about it in a second!

You really should try this. You may (and may not) be surprised at its result. Let me know some of your lessons, websites with deals and *tricks*. Share!!!

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5 Responses to “Positively Challenged by my Budget”

Coleman on July 10th, 2009 3:48 am

Pets Pets and its always about Pets, Things were not the same for me 1 year ago, I had a broken relationship and needed something to active charge my life, I got a cute little puppy and I must say she changed me ( THough housebreaking her was a Pain ) Great Post! Thanks

Colemans last blog post..THIS SCRIPT IS NO LONGER SERVING DATA. UPDATE YOUR PLUGIN
ReikiTech on November 27th, 2009 3:55 pm

Yeah i noticed it was buggy as well, the pages here load really slowly. I guess it happens from time to time with servers
Brooke on November 29th, 2009 2:20 am

Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it.
Christine on December 9th, 2009 4:00 am

Great Post! I love to read articles that are informative and beneficial in nature. Thank You for sharing your knowledge.
John Lusby on December 24th, 2009 9:32 pm

I will have to look for more information on this after reading, thx!