Over the past year, I have had a budget that I (tried my best to) adhere to... During my maternity leave, JG and I both knew that getting my old territory back probably wouldn't happen. It's just the way these companies work these days. So while I was thrilled with the idea of being able to stay at home with Sweet A, I was terrified at the thought of being solely dependent on my husband. It just felt so 1950's. For nearly 11 years I made my own money and it allowed me to buy two homes all by myself (one that we still own as a rental), go on nice vacations, shop if I felt like it and spend $200 at the grocery store... each week... for only two people...
Ahhhh.... the good old days...
But my life now is nothing to sneeze at. I may not be bringing in the money that I used to, but my quality of life is so much richer. I love being a stay at home mama... Wouldn't trade it for anything, even with the changes in our lifestyle. But you folks have heard enough about that... Wanna snoop into what my finances have been like?
Here's the deal... For a quarter of what I used to bring in every month, I now use that money to buy groceries, pay the phone/satellite (bundled) bill, pay my car insurance, get my hair cut, pay my cell phone, pay the water bill for the rental property, pay the balance on my credit card (mainly used for gas) and any other incidentals that pop up... and let's face it, incidentals always occur. Now let me be clear... We are not in any financial hardship. And we want to keep that way... Our motto is: Live Lean Now To Live Large Later. We still go out to meet others for drinks and dinner, but we simply don't go out as often. We still buy certain things we "want" and not necessarily "need". We just don't do it as often.
My biggest struggle with the budget hasn't been impromptu shopping trips to Nordstrom, Macys, or any of my favorite online shopping sites... Its been grocery shopping. Over the past year, I really struggled staying within the budget I set for myself for groceries. For those 11 years before becoming a stay at home mom, I never once considered looking at the weekly circulars, cutting coupons, or planning a menu. I think I tried once, but that lasted all of one week... Looking back, I cringe at how much money I wasted. To be honest, this past year had its hiccups... $17 champagne vinegar? Yes we need that... $35 bottle of wine? But it's my favorite. There was definitely a learning curve. My New Year's resolution has been to stay within $100 every week for groceries. I don't know what most families spend on groceries, but for me, I feel that I have to really strategize to make that budget work... Especially when I found out the McCaughey family, of the McCaughey septuplet fame, had a grocery budget of $200 a week... and that's with TEN people compared to the $200 I was spending for TWO. Reality check, noted.
For the past three weeks, I've managed to keep within my set budget. And, please note, that it's extremely important to me that we eat organic as much as possible (at least for "the dirty dozen") for our fruits, veggies, eggs, and dairy. I also try my best to buy organic or grass fed meats and wild catch fish when I can. I have managed to make it work, even with those higher cost items. I find myself getting so competitive with myself to save more this week than I did the previous week and I had my best week yet, $53 saved on this week's total grocery bill. Hurray!
Tomorrow, I will share with you some of the tips that work for me....
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