In the aftermath of my little girl's second birthday and with Christmas looming precariously in the near future (yes, I said it...Christmas!), money is tight in our household. My Visa has more on it than I would like to admit and we are looking at ways to cut back. The worst part is that when I look at the frugal websites, I'm doing all the right things...so where is my money?
1. Bringing your own instead of buying. I am NOT one of those people queuing for three hours every morning at Timmie's. I make my tea at home and me and my flask drive the commute together. Also, I seldom eat out for lunch. I brown bag it every day, whether it's leftovers or stuff I buy along with our groceries just for lunch.
2. Clip coupons. I do it. I clip them. But then, like my bags that I'm supposed to bring with me, I forget them at home...I need to be better at this one.
3. Wash laundry in cold water. I do this...in fact, we NEVER use hot water. But we do need to get back to using our drying rack to cut back on using our dryer.
4. Turning lights off. We're getting better at this. We have a motion sensor on the one so it only turns one when you walk into the room. It is awful funny to watch people freak when they are standing there and then it shuts off! But I am working on this one too. I have gotten better!
5. Using those funky lights that use less energy. Thanks to my hubby, almost all of our lightbulbs are the energy saving ones...so score one for us! Plus, we have a programmable thermostat which I know is a huge cost savings.
However, we still have a lot to work on, namely:
1. Eating out. We like to order pizza or go out for dinner once in a while. Even grabbing a bite at the fast food places can add up.
2. Buying stuff we don't need. I'm a sucker for sales and dollar stores are a huge weakeness. Does Abby need more toys or do I need another soup ladle? Here is where I need to limit going to stores to avoid purchasing "stuff"
3. Groceries. We spend way more than I want to. I'm working on that too. I found that keeping a list, sticking to it and writing down the price of EVERYTHING and tallying it WHILE shopping, keeps me on task...but it's a lot of work to do it and time consuming...hence the problem. Plus, having to buy gluten free IS more expensive so I try to buy more stuff that I can make than prepackaged cookies or snacks...it's hard though...I like convenience...it's so...CONVENIENT!
4. Stuff for Abby. Growing up with a single working parent, we didn't have a lot of extra stuff. I have a hard time NOT getting stuff for Abby. I try to limit myself to birthday, Christmas and other holidays but why do all girls' clothes and toys have to be so damn cute? It's not fair. I know she doesn't care what she wears...but I really would love to be able to buy more cute, fun clothes and not just buy the necessities. I'm working on it...
But it doesn't feel like the sacrifices have been helping. I haven't gotten my haircut since um, March (??), don't get pedicures, manicures, don't have a gym membership or take any classes (I didn't even take yoga, trying to save money)...so where is my money going??
Gas (I spend $500 a month with me commuting from Grimsby to Mississauga alone)
Food (groceries, eating out, ordering in, lunch food, etc)
Therapy (I have to pay up front and have no idea how much mine and Clayton's coverage will cover)
Shoppers (prescriptions-again, covered but have to pay up front)
My Visa keeps creeping higher and higher...ahh! I need to fix my monetary self! Sigh...shoot me...
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