Who couldn't handle a week of this?Okay, so now that I got that load off my chest in the last post, here's some ideas I have been mulling over for changing up our budget.
Food.
Embarrassingly, last month we spent about 74% of what we spent on groceries on eating out. For example, if we spent $100 on groceries, we also spent $74 on restaurants and fast food. Easily, this was one dinner out on weekends, lunches for Joe, and fast food takeout like Bojangles once a week. I am amazed, yet not surprised at how quickly this adds up and how out of hand it had become in our house. Currently, my deep freezer and pantry are full, so this month, we are going eat down the house. New budget goals (outside of this month) will be $100 a week on groceries including household and toddler supplies, $7/wk for Joe and each to have one lunch out, and $60/month for two dinners out a month. This comes to a weekly budget of about $144. As I get better at shopping with coupons, I hope to bring this down to about $125. The other night, Joe and I both ate at Boston Market for $7 because we had two $3 off coupons. I've started looking up other ways to eat out more cheaply like restaurant.com and various coupon sites and blogs such as We3Liebs that post local deals. I'd also like to do more dinners with friends in my home and theirs, which is cheaper than eating out and everyone wins!
Gardening.
So this is technically food, but it serves several purposes: exercise, entertainment, play, food, and learning. We have our own outdoor science museum in the backyard. I have to be careful though that I don't get carried away on garden projects that cost us more money. Mulch here and there is good, but patios and arbors may not be necessary!
Toys.
I love getting Daniel new things to play with, but toys aren't cheap! Our year membership to Marbles has allowed us to get to play with many more toys than we could ever afford, and its location makes it economical travel wise - we live about a mile away. We will probably continue that next year. Mom sent me a website www.discountschoolsupply.com, which has decent prices on new, educational toys. We've purchased a couple puzzles and musical instruments from them. There are also several local second-hand stores and Craigslist which sell used toys and gear - we just have to watch out for missing parts and be sure to disinfect. The dollar bin at Target has also been good for special deals such as metal pails and bins which make great storage containers. I'm starting to find that there are enough resources out there that I should never settle for paying full-price again.
Getting Crafty.
I have my own pottery wheel and kiln, so I've been tossing around the idea of teaching lessons and doing a fall craft for toddlers and kids that will help me make a little extra money on the side. I'm excited about those possibilities and have thrown out a couple lines to see if I get any bites.
Drive Less.
I love driving and finding new places, and there is so much to do locally, and within a couple miles from my house. I really don't need to drive 20 min each day to run errands, so compiling errands and shortening my driving radius should help reduce my gas expenditures. Joe is already driving less as he has started biking to work each day when it is not raining. Less driving means less gas, less maintenance, more time between oil changes, and usually less spending at stores you don't need to be going to anyhow!
Do you have any other suggestions? I feel like I am just beginning to explore how to live more simply.
I recently read a money saving blog and it suggested talking to your cell phone company about a less expensive plan. Most of us use a lot fewer minutes than we are paying for. I called Alltel (now Verizon) and was able to lower our plan to save around $35/month. Every little bit helps, right? Also, for those who use many services, the bundles are the way to go. Bundling internet, tv and phone have saved friends in our community mucho dinero. Hope that helps, Paige!
ReplyDeletePaige, several of my friends that are moms go to these big conventions about twice a year where moms buy, sell, and trade "all things children"....toys, clothes, books, etc.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can find something in your area or even start something!
line drying clothes, less a/c use, don't flush...
ReplyDeletewe have one of those entertainment book things, you can have all the raleigh buy one/get one restaurant meal coupons!
All good suggestions! Heather, I think we are a bit limited on that with the iphone, and the only thing we could change is to drop the data plan. But who gets and iphone w/o data? Such a waste ;) Sally, we do have one of those in Raleigh and it is HUGE and insane. I have bought things there but not sold anything. I'll have to give it a try next time, because if you sell, you get to shop early and get the good stuff. Amy, my pal tonight said she's give me her book soon b/c they never eat out. Awesome, huh?
ReplyDeleteI'm all for meals with friends. I love having people over for dinner we just don't have the space where we are right now.
ReplyDelete*No t.v. watching-at least the conventional tv. We watch everything online for free
ReplyDelete*We do lots of community meals w/friends. Usually cost $5-8 per person for a 3-4 course meal
*Ditto w/Amy on the flushing
:)
The flushing is tricky with a toddler who is curious about potties! At night, I don't flush our bedroom toilet so as not to wake Joe and to not waste water, but during the day, I don't want Daniel fishing in dirty water!
ReplyDeleteJessica, we do have room so let's do something with the families in the next week or so! Meals that are $5-$8 a person in my mind receive stiff competition from Bojangles. I think after making special dips for several parties, I realized that cooking at home can still be very expensive. It's hard to cook cheaply with quality ingredients.
Another thing I plan to start doing is buying more in bulk at Sams. I know you already do this some but I think one place you can really save is cheese. You can get mammoth blocks of cheese there and and cut it up and freeze it. And let's face it. You can never have too much cheese.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a membership, but BJ's sends out trial memberships every now and then and I take advantage of those. Good idea on the cheese. I didn't know that the blocks froze well.
ReplyDeleteI second the line-drying idea. Not only do you save energy/money on the dryer itself, but the heat it exudes brings up your a/c bill for having to cool your house back down.
ReplyDeleteTry baking your own bread, too.