This part of my 7-part series is a particularly difficult one to post. Not because I don't know how to articulate myself, but because it took me so long to determine exactly what to include in it.
This post will focus primarily on our choices in day-to-day life.
Tip #10: Everyday Sacrifices pay off. We sacrifice for what we have. Before we had only one disposable income, we used to eat out ALL the time! Olive Garden, Red Robin, Applebees - you name it; we ate there at least once a week. Now, we're lucky to get to go once a month, if that. That money goes SO fast! We instead re-channeled it into our grocery budget. Also, we don't buy anything just because we have a sale on it. That goes for food, clothing, etc. We wait, and maybe sacrifice the meal we REALLY want on Wednesday for the sale that saves us 35% next Sunday! (As mentioned in my previous post about meal planning). Sometimes, it's hard to reluctantly say that we will not be joining our family for a dinner out, or our friends for bowling and a movie, but there's always a compromise. Instead of declining 100% of the time (this would be no fun at all!), we try to set aside a very small fund for things that come up such as this. (Note: This is not our primary savings). This would include gift cards and coupons as well. If the family is going out somewhere, and we'd like to go, we sometimes will say yes, and agree to share an entree. That cuts our bill literally in half. Sure, we have different tastes: I don't like meat, and Robert can't tolerate alfredo sauce. Since we both love Italian food, you can see that this is difficult sometimes! And sure, it would be great to come home with leftovers all the time! But here again, everyday sacrifices DO pay off - if you let them. If all of our friends are going bowling AND to a movie, we may decline the movie offer and attend the earlier bowling session.
I know that several of you who are reading this blog have recently emailed or asked me in person how it is that we do what we do day in and day out on the budget we have set. It's not really that difficult - now. However, when we had to make strong - and sometimes tedious - cutbacks, it was stressful and it didintroduce us to a new way of living. But I can assure you that it's paid off. We spent hours in prayer and discussion over what changes to make. Primarily, I did most of this because I'm home when Robert's working. But do not be fooled; this was a TEAM effort!
Tip #11: Save What You Don't Spend. What we don't spend, we save. Literally. We very much follow many of the Duggar's principles, including, "Buy used, save the difference!" Most of our belongings, clothes, and home furnishings are from second-hand stores, garage sales, etc. If we can look up retail price on an item we purchase, we subtract what we actually paid and the difference goes into our savings account. Also, when grocery shopping, if we WOULD have paid $150, but we saved $100 on sales/ coupons (not uncommon at all), then $150-$100 = $50 is what we paid, so $100 goes into our savings. We don't even really see that money. That is our savings plan in its entirety.
To put it simply, it helps when you actually don't see the money you're saving. So, we have an automatic savings plan. As soon as I come home from the store, I write down what we saved, and add it up (I usually shop at a few different grocery stores). Once a week, that money gets transfered to our savings account. We don't use it.
Tip #12: Purpose to Know All About Your Budget. I started writing down and keeping track of our monthly expenses so that I'd be better aware of where every penny was going. Dave Ramsey said on his radio program a few weeks ago, "A budget is your money working for you." It's important that I keep track of all monthly expenses. From grocery shopping to bills. So, we now know basically what our monthly budget is - for food and everything else. I know what my weekly allowance for grocery shopping is. So when I go to the stores, I never go over. Also, during my shopping trips, I use a calculator and subtract from my starting amount (full grocery budget for the week). If I end up negative before I hit the cashier, something gets put back. Plain and simple.
The most important part about this post is that this is something I enjoy, and my husband supports my efforts in. :)
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