Done did spent all the money for the entire month of January .. and it's only the 6th. Well, let me tell you a little secret .. come closer ..
I spent the whole wad on PAPER :) That's right .. on a budget sheet! Yesterday the hubby and I even went to dinner .. bought pantry supplies ... filled up the truck with gas ... and signed me up for a gun safety class.
Ya know what, not one bit of plastic was used .. er .. I mean nasty old credit. Not one swipe of a debit card either. Do you know it's a fact that if you spend cold hard cash or greenbacks that it's MORE PAINFUL mentally than using a bank card?? Do you also know that by SEEING how much cash is in your grocery envelope and taken out to spend lets you know how much is left to get by for the rest of the month. Not that easy with a debit card. I even forfeit getting cash back credit points just to 'suffer' using cash. How do you suffer for money? In a good painful way .. or in a
I don't know 'til I get the bill type of way?
10 comments:
It's funny how accustomed to spending on plastic I've become. I do pay everything off at the end of the month, but it does make me wonder how conscious I am of what things really cost. After all, I'm not SEEING the money come and go.
I think I'm going to go to cash for the month. This should be interesting to see if I continue to buy like I normally do.
I know exactly what you are talking about!!! By the way...I am having trouble reading your blog-somehow the font got smaller? And lighter? Is it just me?
It's a good time of the year to take stock and see if you can't curb your appetite in all ways.
Why do you need to go on a gun safety class?
@ Sue .. we live on one income .. always have .. and have lived on an envelope system for years. The past two we've been very diligent on sticking to a budget .. but it takes a few months of practice to get the hang of it.
@ Mrs. N. I'll check to see if I can darken and enlarge the print .. it is lighter since I re-did the layout.
@ Star .. We are gun owners and hubby is a law officer .. so it's long over due that I take a gun safety class.
When I was a Real Estate Broker and making lots of money I maxed out 4 credit cards...you don't even want to know how much $$$$$$ that added up to. I paid two off and then immediatley maxed them out again. It took me 3 years to pay all but one off. I closed my office about 4 years ago and have struggled to pay off the 4th card, I still owe 1/4 of the orginal debt. I cut up all of my plastic and started the *envelope* system and have stuck to it for these four years. Now that I'm working again I STILL use the envelope system and have no credit cards...NEVER again! By the way: since 2007 I have saved 1/2 of every dollar that has come into my possesion...I have quite a nest egg built up and that makes me very happy.
It's so good to meet you, neighbor. We didn't make it to Glacier Park last summer either. We intend to go in 2012! Blessings from the Big Sky Country..........Denise
I am a cash grocery shopper, and have been for most of my marriage. I take a clip board and shop keeping things to my list with a running total. I also allow for sales. This method really helped 7 years ago when my husband had an accident and our lives changed forever.
Some months I spend less than 170 on groceries...for 4 now. We have lived on 6 on that total.
Jennifer
I am for the first time making a budget and looking very closely at outgoings each month and seeing what cuts I can make.I need to really make some cuts as I tend to overspend on things I do not need. Thank you Cathy for the inspiration.
Hugs
I have to admit, I use plastic, debit cards only. It has become too easy.
I can try going back to the old method, just visit a bank before I go shopping.
The thing I am careful to do, is never go shopping on an empty stomach. I have saved some money that way. I also like to go food shopping on my own.
I dislike it, when I have spent energy on finding the cheapest or best products and Gunnar or Serina come dragging with things we do not need, just on an impulse. I of course don't argue, but I see my savings fly away in a wink.
Need I say we do use much money on food??
Sigh!
Definitely the latter. Although, I had been doing very well for about a year and paid off all debt...then we had our pet emergency and are back in big time debt. It feels like it's not even worth it to try to save anymore...but I'm trying not to have a black and white attitude about it. Your ideas and way of living are very inspiring.
Post a Comment