If you were to calculate things, how much money have you been living on a month? I'm not talking things like electricity, but your variable income like food, clothing, and toys.
In my area I'd say it's easily $1200+ for a family. I'm sure that's close to what we've been spending.
Well it's time to cut back, to scrimp and save. We have a few goals - Pay off debt, buy an oven, new iPhone for hubby, spending money for Disneyland, Christmas is only 6 months away - you get the idea.
Here's the budget:
$680/month.
$100 - Allowances for me and hubby (yes we only get $50 each)
$80 - Gas
$500 - Food, personal care, and everything else.
(The only personal care items we will be buying is deodorant for hubby and the ingredients for homemade items, which are cheap.)
It should be interesting!
Thursday, 28 June 2012
To Delay or Buy Now?
So our oven is broken. Thankfully the stove still works and we have a microwave and BBQ, but we are kind of at a loss about what to do. Our oven is natural gas, which means finding a used one is damn near impossible. The cheapest I can find them new is for $550+tax.
This isn't the first time this year something important has broken. In April, our dryer died. We went as long as we could drying on free-standing racks (between rain, snow, and slush) and it paid off because my mother bought me a new one for my birthday.
The hardest part is not being able to bake - But I am going to whip up a banana loaf in the bread machine later, since the kids have been craving muffins.
It's going to go great with our newly tight budget!
This isn't the first time this year something important has broken. In April, our dryer died. We went as long as we could drying on free-standing racks (between rain, snow, and slush) and it paid off because my mother bought me a new one for my birthday.
The hardest part is not being able to bake - But I am going to whip up a banana loaf in the bread machine later, since the kids have been craving muffins.
It's going to go great with our newly tight budget!
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
10 Household Products I'm No Longer Buying
- Body Wash
- Laundry Soap
- Household Cleaners of Any Kind
- Dishwasher Detergent
- Shampoo (Maybe)
- Shave Gel
- Toothpaste
- Fabric Softener
- Dryer sheets
- Bubble Bath
And here's what I will be buying:
Dish soap, Borax, Baking Soda, Vinegar, Citric Acid, Bar Soap, and at $1 a bottle, Bleach.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Lemons
They say to make lemonade right?
Perfect for the summer, the lemons I've been dealt are these. I had to cut my work hours back down because my babysitter was no longer available and I am very nervous about leaving my kids with anyone. I have spent this extra time sleeping and throwing up, with my being 15 weeks pregnant and all. Yep, that's right, baby number 3.
With the intention to work just enough hours to qualify for maternity leave, we are once again back to only enjoying my part time income.
Lately I've been doing a lot of soul searching and I realized something. I am not the tightwad I want to be! I like to do frugal things, but I am a frugal spendthrift. That is, someone who spends all their money, but at least gets good deals while they do it.
The chaos of my life lately is what has prompted the lack of updates. While I'm still struggling with the nausea and fatigue of pregnancy, I only have a few more days until our big yard sale on Saturday. That means I need to finish going through my house.
This chaos and lack of focus is what has been causing my spendthrift behaviours too. After re-reading my favourite book and also checking out this blog I remembered what I want - and that is to be free. Free of clutter, free of debt, and free to spend time with my children. As kindergarten approaches for my oldest I have really been noticing just how fleeting time can be.
Now to get started.
Here's a recipe for the sugar cookie dough I was craving instead of a picture
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Enough milk to make soft
Enjoy!
Perfect for the summer, the lemons I've been dealt are these. I had to cut my work hours back down because my babysitter was no longer available and I am very nervous about leaving my kids with anyone. I have spent this extra time sleeping and throwing up, with my being 15 weeks pregnant and all. Yep, that's right, baby number 3.
With the intention to work just enough hours to qualify for maternity leave, we are once again back to only enjoying my part time income.
Lately I've been doing a lot of soul searching and I realized something. I am not the tightwad I want to be! I like to do frugal things, but I am a frugal spendthrift. That is, someone who spends all their money, but at least gets good deals while they do it.
The chaos of my life lately is what has prompted the lack of updates. While I'm still struggling with the nausea and fatigue of pregnancy, I only have a few more days until our big yard sale on Saturday. That means I need to finish going through my house.
This chaos and lack of focus is what has been causing my spendthrift behaviours too. After re-reading my favourite book and also checking out this blog I remembered what I want - and that is to be free. Free of clutter, free of debt, and free to spend time with my children. As kindergarten approaches for my oldest I have really been noticing just how fleeting time can be.
Now to get started.
Here's a recipe for the sugar cookie dough I was craving instead of a picture
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Enough milk to make soft
Enjoy!
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