Strict Income

I find that, as a person, I have a hard time sticking to one thing and becoming full dedicated. Such as, actually finishing a project. I also find that as I get older, I get slightly better about it. But I also know that I come up with (or try to implement) many different ideas into my home and lifestyle that I get overwhelmed with it all and quit. I don’t announce that I quit, I gradually or just one day, stop. Over the past few months, I’ve done this numerous times.

Home Management Binder

I have one and I do use it. It’s no where as elaborate as I thought it would be or should be and quite possibly nothing in comparison to many other home management binders. But right now it does house a few recipes, a menu plan, budgetting and cleaning schedules. I haven’t used the cleaning section of it once. Honestly. I do use the recipes. I do use the menu plan (to an extent) and the past few weeks the budgetting section has been helpful.

When I set to plan out the next 2 weeks budget, I pulled out the page that listed all the bills, the due dates, what was already paid, the amount due (or usual average with utilities) and knew exactly what had not been paid and what needed to be paid. This, I found, was possibly the best part of this make-shift binder of mine. It saved the stress of going through a handful of bills, checking the bank account and the websites of the corresponding bills to find out how much I owe, when or if I already paid etc. It was a god-send and quite possibly cut my typical budgetting time in half.

I think I’m going to empty out my cleaning section in the binder. Why? Because I have not used it. It’s been there since the day I spoke of creating a home management binder. Thats about 2 months now, I believe. It hasn’t been used once and only passed by to get to a different section. The cleaning schedules etc. will just have a over haul and eventually, something will be available there to check. But right now, it’s a waste of paper and space.

Budgetting/Finances

I touched briefly above on how we are doing budgetting wise. And honestly, we are better than we were before. I won’t go over again how I love my list of bills and income paper but I LOVE IT. We have been pretty decent about keeping a check book register/list of expenses. It’s been modified a million times over honestly. Mainly because every time I found a check book register spreadsheet that I liked, it screwed up. It wouldn’t calculate right or the help section didn’t answer my questions. So. I printed out a checkbook register. We are going paper and pen.

I’ll admit. Seeing the total left in the account after bills and bills that are expected to go out within the next two weeks, is haunting. Im staring at it right now and trying to figure out how we are going to make it until the 23rd of this month. I know we will. I know we will survive. But when our account drops to a certain point, I get the stress feeling. I don’t like that.

We tried saving $100.00 every pay period. It hasn’t been very successful. Every time we put $100.00 in, we ended up taking it out a few days later because we need it. Because the bank account is getting to low for our comfort. For many reasons. I wish it was easy to just leave it there. I wish I could some how put it in our heads to treat it like a bill. It’s money gone, can’t be touched, already spent. But I haven’t been able to.

I’ve been tossing around perhaps starting off very slow and small. $25.00 a month. If we can do just $25.00 a month perhaps we could eventually increase that amount and start this habit gradually rather than head on like we tried and have failed at.

I’ve tossed around doing the ‘envelope system’ for us. Ive thought it would benefit us. But it’s not something I have tackled yet. And I’m not sure if we will or not.

I’ve thought of seeking Dave Ramsey’s advice. I’ve heard his praises from all over the place. But I can’t bring myself to buy his book or anything of his that might help with debt/savings. Why spend money on something if you can’t 100% commit?

Coupons
In the past I’ve tried to play the coupon game. My brother is infamous in my family for it and my gosh he has a stockpile. He inspires me. But I also fear going up to the cash register at CVS and asking to make 3 seperate transactions to get the most of my ECBS, cash and coupons. It’s not ‘normal’. And I’m sure cashiers aren’t always fond of it. And what do I do if they say no? Walk out? Im generally a very non-confrontational person. I don’t like confrontation and I’m rather shy. Im an introvert to the ninth degree.

I do use coupons, definitely not to the standard of a hard-core coupon person but I do try and get a good sale with a coupon. And with the possibility of us losing part of our income, I’ve seriously considered trying again. Playing this drug store game, etc. but then that fear comes back and I have yet to make it to CVS because I’m intimidated by the cashiers. I do know, that if I make it to my first time, I will have my hubby there holding my hand.

YMCA/Playgroups
Everyone in my family has been so insistent on how badly my children need socialization outside of the family. That they need to go to the YMCA or be a part of a Playgroup. I can honestly say that we have not joined the YMCA because we can’t afford it. Right now with the baby coming, the many car repairs and trying to prepare for winter (yes, already, you spend 600 a month in oil and tell me Im crazy for preparing back in June), we just honest to goodness can’t afford the 78 a month fee plus the initial fees for signing the kids up for classes. We just can’t.

I’ll admit, we don’t have friends here. And the people I do know are not the kind of people I want around my kids. I know a lot of people from the town I grew up in (mind you we live 45 minutes away) and that town is not a good little NEPA town. I refuse to throw my kids into that mix. I’d much rather have them at home and family be their socialization then be involved in those crowds ever. We use to have a good secure set of friends when we were in the military. And I still talk to quite a few of them on a daily basis to this day. But we are all thousands of miles apart. That doesn’t benefit my children though.

As for play groups. There are two in this area. One that my sister in law is involved with and the other that looks like it is inactive. I considered the one my sister in law is involved with but when I started considering it. I got told “Don’t bring drama because they’ll kick you out” and a lot of horror stories. Not to mention my Mother told me in private that they are clique like. The ‘rich, snobby’ moms and then the ones that are ‘just there’. I would fit into the ones that are ‘just there’. Im not rich, I can’t afford 5 costly activities a week, unlike my sister in law. And I know, that drama will eventually come because of the fact that my sister in law and I are opposite.

So no, we wont be joining that group.

Honestly. At this point, I regret moving back to the great NEPA. I wish we were still in Georgia, where we knew a lot of people and my kids would have more available to them that everyone says they are lacking. I hate it here.

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