July had more expenses than we would have liked. We had a big family wedding and with that always comes a few incidentals. Most wedding expenses were planned ahead (gifts, primping, ect) And that was helpful.
We have another family wedding (on a much much smaller scale) in September, but we are not involved in that one.
We did rather well, all things considered. We were not able to put as much to debt as we had hoped, but we did manage to pay more than the minimum, and the balance is slowly dwindling. Robert's preschool tuition was paid in full by the end of the month which earned us a 5% discount and less worry throughout the school year, as well.
Unfortunately, I am at a stand still right now with the freelance work I have been doing. It is guaranteed to pick up again in the fall and through the holidays, but for now, I hate not having that extra income to put towards debt.
We'll continue to put as much as we can to our debt and NOT create more debt. Its still so helpful to know where our money is going.
On that note, a brand new Target just opened down the road... we might be in some trouble after all....
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Home from vacation
We had an incredible vacation last week! I was so sad to leave the beach and get back to reality.
We took $500 in cash with us to spend.
We had a bit of culture (tourist) shock when we arrived... I sent B out for pizza with a 20 dollar bill. Two pizzas were 34 bucks! Whoa! He had to hit the atm and we got slammed with a FOUR dollar atm charge AND 1.50 charge from our bank. We usually try to avoid these charges. I let it slide. After pizza we went out for ice cream. It cost 16.50 for ice cream for the family. Eek.
We just weren't prepared for those tourist prices.
I had to hit the grocery store early in the week for some essentials. We brought most of our food from home. I planned meals out ahead of time, knowing that we wouldn't be going out to eat too much. I was appalled at the grocery store prices! Everything was nearly twice the price of what it was at home! However, the sale prices were nothing to complain about. I bought 2 cartons of ice cream and we enjoyed ice cream at home most nights instead of at the boardwalk.
We went out to breakfast mid week, which was a nice treat and much cheaper than going out to dinner. Bobby and I had a nice date (alone!) early in the week as well. The 34 dollar pizza ended up being our first and last night's dinner (I froze the leftovers and heated them up on Friday)
We came home with $75. Not bad, if you ask me. Vacationing on a budget is not as hard as we thought! We stretched every dollar, but didn't feel deprived. I've reconciled all purchases and I don't think I'd change a thing - except maybe that darn atm fee!
I realize that as the kids get older, it won't be as easy to cut corners. Knowing how expensive vacation can be, we'll just have to save a few extra bucks to take with us next year!
We took $500 in cash with us to spend.
We had a bit of culture (tourist) shock when we arrived... I sent B out for pizza with a 20 dollar bill. Two pizzas were 34 bucks! Whoa! He had to hit the atm and we got slammed with a FOUR dollar atm charge AND 1.50 charge from our bank. We usually try to avoid these charges. I let it slide. After pizza we went out for ice cream. It cost 16.50 for ice cream for the family. Eek.
We just weren't prepared for those tourist prices.
I had to hit the grocery store early in the week for some essentials. We brought most of our food from home. I planned meals out ahead of time, knowing that we wouldn't be going out to eat too much. I was appalled at the grocery store prices! Everything was nearly twice the price of what it was at home! However, the sale prices were nothing to complain about. I bought 2 cartons of ice cream and we enjoyed ice cream at home most nights instead of at the boardwalk.
We went out to breakfast mid week, which was a nice treat and much cheaper than going out to dinner. Bobby and I had a nice date (alone!) early in the week as well. The 34 dollar pizza ended up being our first and last night's dinner (I froze the leftovers and heated them up on Friday)
We came home with $75. Not bad, if you ask me. Vacationing on a budget is not as hard as we thought! We stretched every dollar, but didn't feel deprived. I've reconciled all purchases and I don't think I'd change a thing - except maybe that darn atm fee!
I realize that as the kids get older, it won't be as easy to cut corners. Knowing how expensive vacation can be, we'll just have to save a few extra bucks to take with us next year!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
June recap - Month 4
June was relatively quiet. Almost all expenses happened as planned. We came across a really good deal on a TV for the kid's playroom (been looking for a year now) and we jumped on it. It's no nice to know that it's paid for in full and there is no 'credit card statement' looming overhead. In June, we put $400 to debt, and once we get through July we'll be able to contribute a much more significant amount on a monthly basis.
We found out that friends of ours have stopped using their credit cards too. And when we were out to dinner with friends, they commented on how weird it was for Bobby to be carrying cash since he's always been a credit card guy.
I was able to buy a few beach necessities at Kohl's this past week. Kohl's is one of those stores that you have to use your Kohl's card to get the really good deals. I was in there about a month ago, and bought a few items with cash. When the cashier asked if I had a Kohl's card I told her "Yes, but I don't use it anymore" Then I asked if there was a way I could use my card and then run right back to customer service and pay the balance with cash right there. I was astonished to hear that I didn't even have to go back to CS - they'd let me use the card at the register and then pay in cash. How cool is that???
So on my most recent trip, I spent $71 and saved $108. How's that for bargain shopping? AND I earned $10 in Kohl's cash too!
Looking forward, I really feel like we have more money than we ever did before. But we're just spending it wiser than we ever did.
If my math is right, we should have our debt paid off by the Spring and my mini van paid off before summer. We've also built into the budget to put a deck on the back of the house in early spring.
That's all for this month. We leave for vacation on July 4th. We're so excited!
We found out that friends of ours have stopped using their credit cards too. And when we were out to dinner with friends, they commented on how weird it was for Bobby to be carrying cash since he's always been a credit card guy.
I was able to buy a few beach necessities at Kohl's this past week. Kohl's is one of those stores that you have to use your Kohl's card to get the really good deals. I was in there about a month ago, and bought a few items with cash. When the cashier asked if I had a Kohl's card I told her "Yes, but I don't use it anymore" Then I asked if there was a way I could use my card and then run right back to customer service and pay the balance with cash right there. I was astonished to hear that I didn't even have to go back to CS - they'd let me use the card at the register and then pay in cash. How cool is that???
So on my most recent trip, I spent $71 and saved $108. How's that for bargain shopping? AND I earned $10 in Kohl's cash too!
Looking forward, I really feel like we have more money than we ever did before. But we're just spending it wiser than we ever did.
If my math is right, we should have our debt paid off by the Spring and my mini van paid off before summer. We've also built into the budget to put a deck on the back of the house in early spring.
That's all for this month. We leave for vacation on July 4th. We're so excited!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Vacation!
We're going to the beach - July 4-11! And we're paying for it in cash! (Are you really surprised?)
I came across a great little condo in a prime location. When I inquired,
the week that we wanted was no longer available. But they offered us the week of July 4th at a discount (minus $200 - which is basically just getting a night for free.)
I've already started budgeting vacation costs (going out to eat, beach tags, amusements, etc) and we can totally have a great vacation.
I keep telling everyone that I feel like a grown up - taking my kids on vacation and paying for it myself. I hope this becomes a great tradition!
This does mean that our debt payments might take a hit over the next month or two, but a week away is worth it to us- making memories for our kids and really enjoying ourselves.
Maybe next year we'll go for 2 weeks! :)
I came across a great little condo in a prime location. When I inquired,
the week that we wanted was no longer available. But they offered us the week of July 4th at a discount (minus $200 - which is basically just getting a night for free.)I've already started budgeting vacation costs (going out to eat, beach tags, amusements, etc) and we can totally have a great vacation.
I keep telling everyone that I feel like a grown up - taking my kids on vacation and paying for it myself. I hope this becomes a great tradition!
This does mean that our debt payments might take a hit over the next month or two, but a week away is worth it to us- making memories for our kids and really enjoying ourselves.
Maybe next year we'll go for 2 weeks! :)
Monday, June 1, 2009
FREE ICE CREAM!
If you have a Sonic nearby, make sure you stop by this Wednesday night from 8-midnight. They are giving away FREE Root Beer Floats!
Friendly's will be serving FREE 4oz ice cream cups on June 7th from noon-5pm.
May - month 3
May was... well, May was tough. We had a few unexpected/unplanned things come up - 2 birthday parties, Mother's Day gifts (forgot to plan for that!), End of school year teacher gifts, a death, some births, kids were sick - I was sick! So, we (carefully) spent more than we had planned (thank goodness for the cash cushion in the checking acct) But I was able to move some stuff around and eliminate some of our planned spending in order to accommodate this month's purchases. So, it's all good!
We still put $500 to debt, purchased bunk beds for the boys AND completed a landscaping project in the front of our house. ALL on CASH.
I did great on groceries this month and scored a few great purchases at the thrift shop too! I sold a few items on craigslist, to help bring in some cash.
On top of it all, I took a part time/work from home job doing branding/marketing for my sister's PR firm. The extra money will definitely help us tackle our debt faster, which is the ultimate goal.
June should be relatively calm. Robert will attend camp and we'll spend a few days at my parent's house relaxing by the pool and perhaps (and that is a strong perhaps) plan a long weekend getaway to the beach for late July. We will be going to eat with friends at Emeril's Chop House, which just opened at the nearby Sand's Casino. We don't go out to eat much and this will be a special treat. We're really excited about it.
Some days I think we'll never get rid of this debt. I fear that it will be looming over us forever. But then I remember the important thing - we are not creating more debt. We are living comfortably, and I really appreciate the things we are buying on cash - more so than I ever would with plastic!
Just an aside... I told a friend that I sometimes feel like a poor person using cash for everything. She told me RICH people use cash. POOR people need credit cards. Interesting thought.
We still put $500 to debt, purchased bunk beds for the boys AND completed a landscaping project in the front of our house. ALL on CASH.
I did great on groceries this month and scored a few great purchases at the thrift shop too! I sold a few items on craigslist, to help bring in some cash.
On top of it all, I took a part time/work from home job doing branding/marketing for my sister's PR firm. The extra money will definitely help us tackle our debt faster, which is the ultimate goal.
June should be relatively calm. Robert will attend camp and we'll spend a few days at my parent's house relaxing by the pool and perhaps (and that is a strong perhaps) plan a long weekend getaway to the beach for late July. We will be going to eat with friends at Emeril's Chop House, which just opened at the nearby Sand's Casino. We don't go out to eat much and this will be a special treat. We're really excited about it.
Some days I think we'll never get rid of this debt. I fear that it will be looming over us forever. But then I remember the important thing - we are not creating more debt. We are living comfortably, and I really appreciate the things we are buying on cash - more so than I ever would with plastic!
Just an aside... I told a friend that I sometimes feel like a poor person using cash for everything. She told me RICH people use cash. POOR people need credit cards. Interesting thought.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Two weeks of groceries
Last week was stellar... I SAVED MORE than I SPENT. I LOVE when that happens!
Total: 85.30
After coupons and bonuscard: 40.66
The best deal was the ice cream. they were 3/6 IF you buy 3. I had 3 $1 coupons and that made each carton $1 each. I had a rain check for the ground turkey AND a $2/meat coupon - each pack came to $2. Giant also had 4 $1 doublers in the ad, so that was an additional $4 off my order in addition to a $5/50 coupon.
Total: 89.65
After Coupons/bonuscard: 47.72
Freebies this week: Joint Juice 10/10 - FREE after $1 off coupon, A1 Marinade 1.99 - FREE after $2 coupon. I had some great Giant coupons too... $1 off produce, $2 off meat and $5 off 50.
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