starbucks??????? well only until my gift cards run out! and no, it isn't because i'm giving up coffee or my passion for starbucks.this past year was quite lean in our little home. income was down and expenses piled up, more than what i realized. as some unexpected vehicle and medical bills come in with our christmas bills i feel overwhelmed i guess.
you see, we have always lived rather frugally, but this year there are some projects we'd like to do - mainly add a second bathroom to this old farmhouse. and of course, that costs some money.
so as this new year begins i am thankful that we closed our books as well as we did in 2010. i'm thankful that God continues to provide and that we obviously have not gone hungry.
but i'm also realizing that we need to find ways to save some money so that we can add that bathroom. i'm not sure how that will look, but i do know that my starbucks love is going to have to suffer a little, or maybe a lot this year. this is a hard one for me because this is where i connect with friends and friendship is something i need. but i will trust God in this.
i look at this picture of my pantry, and while this was after a grocery shopping extravaganza, i also realize my need for more creativity in fixing meals with what we have. so a new plan of meal planning and wise cooking is in store as well.
now for other extras in our budget: we have track phones. hubby rarely uses his, but mine is going off all the time lately. that eats my minutes and when i could once buy a minute card every 3 months it is down to every month. so i'm planning to turn the phone off more often. i guess people will have to understand. but the $40/month is quite a chunk of change.
sadly, there isn't much extra to cut out.......we don't have cable and since hubby works from home internet can't be cut.
so - does anyone out there that still reads my blog have any ideas on ways to cut spending and keep saving????
Comments
Once a month, try to eat as many meals as possible from the pantry/freezer/fridge for a whole week. When I did this a couple weeks ago, I was amazed that I only spent $10 of our weekly grocery budget by eating the things that had acquired and getting creative with meals. The only things I ended up having to buy were milk, bread, and cheese.
Eat a meatless meal once a week. I'm going to try meatless (or nearly meatless) tacos this week, swapping out ground beef ($3/lb) for black beans (.49 cents, but other options are eggs, toast, and fruit, or fried egg and cheese sandwiches.
I think this will be fun for me to try to do even once a month. It helps me if I write down everything we have on a checklist and plan meals from it. If I don't plan ahead, it's easier for me to cave in and go shopping anyway.