Here's the details:
Our family is going to try to spend less than $250 for 31 days. We (meaning mostly me, but Bryan is somewhat willingly going along with it) want to be more mindful and disciplined about the money we spend. We are going to only spend money for basic essentials this month.
Rachel, from Small Notebook, said it perfectly last year, "We’re constantly told about things that will make our lives better, and yes, sometimes they do. But that daily message to buy, have, and make things nicer never stops, it consumes our time, and it can make us not see what we already have. We’ll take a break from trying to add more."
Our typical monthly food/Wal-mart (since I usually buy everything at Wal-mart) budget is $300.00. That includes all soap, shampoo, paper towels, cleaners, food, etc. We usually have a separate allotment for eating out ($50.00) and then a miscellaneous allotment ($85.00) for things that come up like home repairs, flea medicine (ugggghhhhh, they are horrible this year), co-payments at the doctor, etc. Here is the kicker though, we only budget from Bryan's paycheck, so that means all that I make from tutoring is pretty much fair game to use as we please or used for extra savings. My tutoring money goes to support things bought at the farmer's market, additional meals eaten out which still is not many at all, and other luxuries. So the $250.00 tight budget is going to be tough but hopefully it will keep us accountable. Already we know of a few events we would like to attend this month, but we might just have to do some sacrificing.
Our $250.00 will be going toward anything we would buy for ourselves which include:
- Groceries
- Eating out
- Clothing
- Household items
- Entertainment
- Mortgage, insurance, and bills
- Health expenses
- Work expenses (if any)
- Savings and investments
- Tithes and gifts
- Gas expenses
We are starting the month off with a pretty good supply of food because I had to go to the grocery store today, but it was not a grocery trip that was out of the ordinary. I spent $102.00 today. We do a great job of eating up almost everything before restocking the fridge and the two cabinets of food, but I think we might have to do some major stretching this month. We'll see. I plan to update often about where our money is spent. So stay tuned to our attempt to hopefully learn to appreciate what we do have.
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