Remember? I only made it through one week of adding how much we spent eating out.
Just yesterday, I went to buy one new pair of white scrub pants (truly necessary after getting rid of the half dozen pairs that no longer fit) and came away with two stethoscope IDs, two scrub tops, and no pants. I find money in the bottom of my purse, in pockets of uniforms, on the bedside table, on the kitchen table. Not much, but dollars and cents add up.
My husband is better at controlling spending than I am. Frugal, but in a good way. Bless his heart (If you're not from the South....anything can be said about any person without offense, as long as it is followed by Bless his/her heart. Comes in handy. Try it.). He recently booked hotel rooms for us and my boss on a business trip. They were 44.95 each. My boss' reaction, "Are we renting by the hour?" The owner of the company had him send out the hotel info., so everyone has to stay there from now on!! Frugal. Frugal.
But like most men, he strives to give baby girl and me everything we could ever want. So frugal doesn't always apply. Without him though, I always lived paycheck-to-paycheck, even though I had an above-average income. Together, we are saving, paying off debt, learning new habits.
So starting today, I am writing down every cent I spend until July 31, 2012. I've done this before, and the results made me shocked, nauseous, a little proud, and very spoiled.
Shameful spending habits to follow!
I'm quite afraid to jot down my spent dollars! I've gone to a cash budget, using those good ol' envelopes, like my Momma did when I was a kid. That debit card doesn't leave my nearly as stingey as I should be. We are down to very little debt, to paid off next month, except our mortgage.
ReplyDeleteLove the "bless your heart" comment too - so true!
I think we are going to cash for groceries and mad money!!
DeleteCongrats on being almost debt-free. I bet that is an amazing feeling.
I'm originally from SE Louisiana, and it is so true about the "Bless his heart!"
ReplyDeleteBeing single, it seems paycheck-to-paycheck is a "way of life" for me. Still "7" has opened my eyes to places where I've wasted money. It's causing me to revisit my way of life.
I was a single mom for about 9 years, and paycheck-to-paycheck was my way of life too. But,like you, I see so much excess in certain areas. It is amazing what I have just refused to see!
DeleteI use an ipad app called Xpense tracker. I plug in all our reciepts into it and catergorize it. It really helps us budget and we can see where we need to make changes. It has made me a little ill before seeing the results, but its really helping us make a change and save money!
ReplyDeleteSeveral people on The Summer of 7 facebook page mentioned the electronic apps! Are there any good, free ones?
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