Happy Thursday Ladies!
Hope you are all having a great week so far!
This little saying right here...so true!
Those of you who read over here, know that I love to shop, and now a days I feel like it is so easy to overspend, I mean it's literally as easy as one little click...and BAM, in a few days it's delivered to my doorstep! I am a huge fan of online shopping, and will always prefer that, rather than having to go to the store and shop. It is so convenient, but it can also be SO dangerous! You see a good deal someone posted, you click it and buy it, you do that a couple times a week and you've easily probably just spent $100! Listen I am so guilty of this! I have always kind of been and "instant gratification" type person...and it can be bad!
For the most part, bigger purchases Mark and I discuss together, but if I am out at Target and see something cute for the kids or the house, I will usually just grab it...and ladies isn't Target the absolute worst...I mean who ever goes into Target for just what they needed...NO ONE!
#truth
One of my goals for this year, is to really get serious about budgeting and saving money. I have never ever been one to write down what I spend, however I took a good, hard look online at my bank account and all the debit card purchases and HOLY COW....way too many stupid, unnecessary purchases! It is way to easy to whip out that debit card, and $5 here, $10 there...it all really adds up. I am thinking for us we will set out cash each week, and we have to learn to budget and live within that certain amount. This is definitely going to be a huge adjustment for us, but I am confident in the long run, it will be totally worth it.
I have read a little bit about the envelope system, and I am thinking maybe we will try that. I would love any tried and true tips that you guys have for budgeting and saving! I am not going to lie, it can be a bit overwhelming! So bring on your advice and tips...I am ready!
Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check back tomorrow for Friday Favorites!
Hey Kimm! Good for you. I agree, changing your lifestyle is tough. We did the same thing after looking at our checking account and noticing we had spent nearly $200 one week on stupid stuff. We budget for living expenses, groceries, etc. Then give "x" amount for shopping, eating out, etc. I think it's important to be realistic and allow yourself some freedom, all within reason of course. I think the envelope system is great for these things. Any extra cash; bonuses, etc we out right into savings. Also, if you have something specific you want to accomplish you may consider opening a separate savings account just for that project or goal. It helps to see the progress you make and drive you to save more. Hope that helps!! So glad you and your family are doing well :)
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a little eye opening when you sit back and look at how much money we can spend each month on such random stuff!!!! I'm sure we can still save a lot more than we do and still have some fun! Thanks for the tips! Have a great day!
DeleteWe use mint.com which is a budgeting app/website which puts each transaction in a category. We have also been through Dave Ramsey classes at our local church and they were so worth it. They really helped us get on the same page with spending and saving. Best if luck. We need to do a better job at this also and have the envelopes out. Be careful though I've done envelopes in the past and had the bad habit of borrowing from envelopes
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look into that website ! And I'm sure there's lots of self control with the envelopes,,,it could be so easy to just "borrow" from one! Thanks for the tips today! Have a great day!
DeleteI'm bad at this too! :(
ReplyDeleteI want to try to set aside a certain amount each month I can spend on clothes/house decor/coffee/etc and then stick to that. Maybe by doing the cash system. Unfortunately I try to say I'm not going to spend anything and then I end up spending whatever I want by the end of the month! I also need to implement a grocery budget. The last time I went to the store I tried to get just what we really needed (no impulse buys) and my bill was a little lower than usual!
Oh last thing, do you have an Aldi near you? You can save so much money grocery shopping there!!
Good luck!! :)
We have an aldi opening in a few months! We had one pretty close by when we lived in NC and I loved going there...definitely a huge savings!!!! My grocery bill can kill me sometimes! Hope you have a great day!
DeleteAhhh this speaks to me SO MUCH! I'm in the financial industry so I can tell you anything you want to know about investing and have done so well with my money but when it comes to budgeting and everyday spending...I suck. I would love to hear how it goes for you!
ReplyDeleteI'll keep you posted !
DeleteI read about someone who saves every five dollar bill she receives. I tried this and I stopped after about 5 months but it started a nice little savings fund. It was actually fun to see what it added up to.
ReplyDeleteLisa G., McKinney,TX
Hey Lisa! That's sounds like a great, fun little way to save! I bet it adds up quite nicely! Have a nice day!
ReplyDeleteI've actually put myself on a spending freeze until Spring {except for birthday presents, of course!}. I simply do not need anything else!
ReplyDeleteI too don't need a single thing. We are definitely on a somewhat of a spending freeze over here!
DeleteBudgeting is so tough! I don't like to feel restricted, but know it's important to be smart with money. I don't like to carry cash, so the envelope system wouldn't work for me. I do buy a Starbucks gift card (5% off with my Target card) each month to help limit my addictions- I'd go 3x a day if not!
ReplyDeleteI love to shop! I found that I was making a lot of "small" or "on-sale" clothing purchases, instead of buying things I really loved. I set a budget and now feel much less inclined to buy all of the little $20 somethings here and there, but also feel no guilt buying a "big ticket" item. It's helping me reduce the amount of clothes, but increase the quality.
That's a great idea for the Starbucks gift card! I bought a few on December on groupon and got a good deal! I used to go every single day now I only go once a week, and though at first it was tough I appreciate it more now only having it once a week!
DeleteI tend to like nicer things myself, so I'm ok with passing up the smaller purchases, saving and waiting to get what i really want. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment today!
You should get set up with Linkshare or R Style to earn a small commission for all of the deals you link to on your blog! Most bloggers do this, but I notice you don't. Easy way to make some extra cash! 😊
ReplyDeleteHi there ! I'm not a huge fan of all those links. I have nothing against anyone who uses their blog to earn income, but so many are so sneaky about it, and I know for me personally, I hate having to click a ton of links, if someone asks me about something, I just assume tell them, not refer them to my blog for a link so I can make a few bucks;). Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment today
DeleteTotally agree with you and respect your choice!
DeleteCheck out moneysavingmom.com. She's written several books too. She and her husband pay cash for everything. They paid for their first house in cash, in their 20s! Pretty amazing.
ReplyDeleteHi Casey! That is totally amazing ! I'll have to check her out! Thanks for stopping by today!
DeleteFor two months, I wrote down everything I spent. Then I averaged out the months for each category, such as groceries, gas, clothing, entertainment,etc and that was the amount I use for my envelopes. I also have an envelope called "Blow It" with an extra $50 in it, for things that are difficult to budget for because they happen so infrequently (maybe for a flower arrangement for a funeral or something like that). If I do not use this money at the end of the month or all of the money in a particular envelope, that goes back into savings.
DeleteI highly recommend you and your husband taking the Dave Ramsey money management class. Is it offered at your church?
Good luck!
Molly in NE
Thanks Molly! I'll have to look into that course. Everyone keeps mentioning it !!! Awesome tips! Thanks so much. Have a great day.
DeleteLove this post! It's my goal to really stick with our budget this year. Our big cash leak is eating out. I'm trying to really stick with a menu plan and cut out (or at least drastically cut down) our eating out. I look forward to more post about this!
ReplyDelete