Lately, it seems like the cost of everything is out of control. We try to live on a pretty tight budget. For a while, we did the Dave Ramsey envelope system. But we aren't so great about taking the time to get the cash at the beginning of each month, so we debit for a while, and then the amounts get all messed up. For the last few months, we haven't even gotten the cash at all. And it shows. Little purchases here and there that really add up. I have a hard time putting a cash amount on certain things, thinking "It couldn't really cost that much!" and then underestimating; and Tim has a hard time finding the value in some things, and then doesn't budget for that category even though we need to.So while we still give every dollar a home when we get paid, the dollars have been moving without our tacit permission.
With us going down to one income for a month or two (or three, or more. It really depends on how quickly the karate school takes off), I've been stewing the cost of living over in my head. There are some places where we still really hit it in terms of saving, and there are other places that are flat out misses.
I'll start with the good:
1. Nails: Anyone who knows me knows I love my nails. Long and acrylic. These Jersey nails really miss their pizzaz. And it is finally in style to have long, fake nails (I get that is subjective, but it is more common than usual. Thanks Rihanna!) But it is really hard to justify adding that to the budget. @ $20 bi-weekly adds up to $520 a year. Actually, that doesn't sound that bad. But I know that money could be better spend somewhere else (again, subjective, but I guess Tim knows that money could be better spent somewhere else :)
2. Hair: I color my hair at home, which has so far worked out pretty well. I did fine it sort of silly to pay $60 or more to have someone help me find the perfect shade of brown. ummm...and especially since my increasing grays have me coloring more often than in the past, it is a budgetary item I again can't justify. But...I tried something different last time, sort of a purplish brown, and while it came out well, I can tell I didn't apply the color evenly. And my hair is kind of dry. So I'm wondering if maybe the extra money is worth it...
3. Hobbies: We are pretty good at not spending money on extras. We did have the kids in swim, but they revolted and refused to go. So after a few months of holding onto our Y membership, which I use occasionally, we decided to drop it. At the discounted Y rate, we were paying $70 a month, and that can definitely go somewhere else (nails?!). I will miss it, especially in the winter when I can't run, but maybe we will get a used treadmill.
4. Used Stuff: We buy a lot of it. And we price compare online and then usually order cheap stuff online. It works a lot better than I thought it could.
5. House Stuff: I haven't bought holiday themed place mats in years. We could actually use new pillows (this I"m getting. Soon. It's just an example). We take care of big stuff like the shed (okay, our home owner's insurance made us do that), but for the little stuff we try to get by on what we have.
6. Saving: We manage to save every month, and also put money toward Tim's retirement (mine is automatic).
I'm sure there is other stuff Tim has given up, but I don't realize it. We do talk about almost every purchase, so we have to agree on it before we buy it. Luckily, we agree on most of it. But I do miss my own credit card, where I could have a target splurge or, well, get my nails done...
Groceries: Groceries go in the middle, b/c despite my best efforts, I feel like we overspend. I think we spend $160-$180 a month on just groceries. We don't have a stocked pantry -- I pretty much buy what we need and then we eat it. We rarely have a lot left over on foodshopping day (which makes us eat out, so maybe I should buy more groceries). I do buy organic dairy and I try to buy quality meat and fish. The vegetarian in me still skeeves at factory sourced meat). And fruit. Probably this isn't that unreasonable, but I can't believe how much we spend for one week. And we usually eat out 1-2 times a week. Or more lately.
The Ugly:
Eating Out: Bad Chewnings! Actually, not horrible, but we have gotten lax. I can't say no. I actually did last night, but only b/c we've spend so much lately. But I love me some food, and going out gives us so much more variety than eating home.
Supplements: We bought the new P90x3 workout series, and with it, we bought recovery shake, a pre-work out supplement, and then there is something else that Tim takes. And I have bought a supergreen powder for morning smoothies (which I did price compare and got the cheapest that had good reviews.) All of this is probably unnecessary. But soo good!
Buying Stuff: We all "needed" some new clothes for the summer, and once the floodgates opened, we really got stuff. Again, not horrible. All on sale. But possibly more than we needed. For example, Tim and I both got some new workout gear the other day. We didin't spend a ton, but arguably, we could have done without. And we each got a new pair of crossfit sneakers for P90X (again, off of ebay, and i think mine might be used, but still...) And one of us has gotten into the habit of buying online comics and video game skins. Not saying who, but...
I'm sure there is more, since things have been feeling kind of "loose" lately. But I know we have to reign it in soon. One thing that will save us a lot is that we won't have a babysitter from the middle of June through the end of August. Our babysitter is money very well spent, but she is going away for the summer. However, Tim is taking off the month of July to prep for the school, and will then be building out the school in August, so he will have the extra time to watch the kids.
I know we actually have everything we need. It is just a matter of not wanting anymore. That is sooo much harder than it sounds, and I underestimate it every time. But it's been almost a year since I had my nails wrapped, and before that, I had gone a year, too. So if I can do that, I think we can do anything.
